


We are the Sleepers

by orphan_account



Series: Under Your Command [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sleeper Cell, Co-Dependency, Death, Disassociation, Eating Disorders, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Gen, General Feel-Bads, Heavy Angst, Homicide, Hostage Situations, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, M/M, Mass Death, Military, Murder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychological Trauma, This isn't a happy tale, Transgender Characters, Trauma, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:24:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 60,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hell had broken loose on a normal day, in a normal family, in a normal neighbourhood. A single call had changed Eren's life forever. Now the rest would be spent on the run with his sister, but there was only so long a person can run before the past catches up to them, and the clock was ticking. Dawn was coming, and it's time to wake up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Great thanks to [Ro](http://archiveofourown.org/users/luvsanime02/pseuds/luvsanime02) for translating ALT into English!
> 
> Just to warn you, this isn't full of warm and fuzzy feelings. If you are looking for something brighten your day and make you feel rainbows flowing from your pores, you're in the wrong place. Turn back now before you're too damaged to get out on your own.
> 
> Tags, characters, and relevant pairings have been added. It's the only forewarning you're going to get...
> 
> With that in mind, enjoy!

“Eren, get dressed, the guests will be here soon!” Carla called down the hall. Eren looked up from his game to check the time, and his eyes widened.

 _“Shit!”_ he yelped, dropping the controller and rolling off his bed.

Even as his knees slammed against the floor, the sound wasn’t loud enough to drown out his mother’s call of, “Don’t swear!”

“Here,” was all he heard before a shirt was thrown in his face. The familiar scent of cinnamon and pine engulfed him before he felt the shirt being pulled down over his head, trapping his arms against his body. When his head was finally pulled through the neck opening, he gave a disgruntled stare at the bland face of his sister.

“Thanks,” he groused. She just gave a small smile, backing up and reaching for her own clothes to change into. Her back was turned to him as she pulled her school uniform off and began slipping the dress on. Eren struggled to free his pinned arms, finally getting them loose enough to slide the shirt back up, pushing his arms through the long sleeves, and then back down, hiding his naturally golden skin from view. His sweatpants were swapped for a pair of slacks, and he had to dig out a pair of trouser socks - they were still in the wrapping, never needing to be worn before - and then the new, shiny shoes he had never had the need to wear either.

After all, he didn’t tend to leave the house. If he went anywhere, it was with his father to work. But that was a long time ago, and now he was too busy with school to have any outings with his dad. But his mother had decided to host a dinner party for several of the neighbours and Eren was expected to look his best, and when his mother demanded the best, no one denied her. She was already annoyed that Eren’s dad, Grisha, was called into work for an emergency, and she had been quite short-tempered with Eren and Mikasa all day because of that.

“We’ve been planning this for weeks!” she had been arguing with her husband, even as he was changing into scrubs.

“It’s an emergency and I’m on call. I can’t prevent people from needing surgery, I can only perform it.”

Eren could hear them arguing from his room, but he tried to stay quiet and out of the way. They had been fighting more and more in recent months, and he had no desire to get in the middle of their arguments.

“At least try to be home before seven,” she had finally said, dropping into her chair and burying her face in her hands to hide her misery. Grisha then knelt down, fully ready to walk out the door and head to work, but he took the time to place a gentle kiss against her hair.

“I can only do my best. But I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Why would I give up the chance to eat your apple crisp?”

She looked up with a weary smile.

“I love you,” she said gently, and he kissed her again.

“And I you. Now I need to go so I can return that much sooner.”

While they had resolved their fight, Carla had been on edge. So when the phone started ringing twenty minutes into the party, Eren rushed to answer it, hoping it wasn’t his father calling to say he couldn’t make it home.

“Jaeger house!” Eren greeted, pressing his back against the wall next to the phone. He could see the guests in the living room, his mother flitting around and doing her best to look perky and cheerful. He could see the tension next to her eyes, but he knew that the guests would never notice a thing. They didn’t know how to spot it as well as Eren could, having memorized the way his mother’s expressions changed on a daily basis.

“Hi, is your mom or dad home?” a voice spoke, and Eren relaxed as he realized that no, the shit was _not_ going to hit the fan tonight. His dad _wasn’t_ going to be at work all night again.

“They’re busy,” he replied, as he knew that disturbing his mom in full ‘social butterfly’ mode wasn’t a thing that was done. She needed to be the center of attention, to entertain her guests, and she couldn’t do that when talking to a stranger on the phone.

“Oh, I know. Eren, is it? I’m sure your mother would make an exception.”

“I don’t know. She told me not to interrupt the party upon pain of death,” Eren admitted. “How do you know my name?”

“I’ve known your parents for a long time. They talk about you often, and I admit I wish I could meet you in person. Can you let your mom know she has a phone call?”

“Maybe you should just call back?” Eren suggested, and the person on the other side laughed heartily.

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll forgive you this once.”

“Fine, but you’re the one she gets to yell at,” Eren gave in. “What should I tell her?”

“Tell her that her favourite big brother is on the phone,” the voice said, and Eren gasped.

“You’re Mom’s— you’re my uncle?!” he said, excited. He had never met any relatives before; he didn’t even know he _had_ them!

“I am! You’d probably not know that, when your parents got married, the family didn’t take it so well. They haven’t spoken since before you were born. Now hurry up, time is money!”

“Oh, right!” Eren said, setting the phone carefully on the counter before dashing to the living room, sliding past the mingling guests easily and coming up to his mother’s side. She glanced down at him, the look in her eye clearly showing her disapproval - both of his early entrance and his haste - but her expression cleared up quickly at his message.

“Tell him he knows better than to rush me. Keep him busy until I’m ready.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me I had an uncle?” Eren asked, but Carla shooed him away.

“Not now, Eren, time is money.”

Eren rolled his eyes, heading back to pick up the phone. He rested it against his shoulder, levering himself onto the small counter built into the wall beside the phone. If he was going to ‘keep him busy’ he wasn’t going to do it standing up the entire time.

“Mom’s busy and said don’t rush her. So I’m supposed to talk to you until she’s done.”

“How like Carla. The apocalypse could come and she’d tell it to give her time to finish what she was doing.”

Eren laughed, delighted.

“Yes! She would, wouldn’t she?”

“Did you pick that trait up from her? Or are you more like your dad?”

“Neither. Mom says I’m the best of both of them. I think she’s full of sh— er, crap.”

“That also sounds like your mother,” his uncle said, amused. Eren grinned.

They continued to talk, Eren telling him about all the cool things he got to do with his parents because he was homeschooled. He loved being able to talk to a family member that wasn’t Mom, Dad, or Mikasa, and when Carla came to finally answer the phone he reluctantly handed it over.

“Don’t pout, it doesn’t suit your handsome face,” Carla scolded, running a thumb over his cheek to smooth out his frown. “You’ll be able to meet your uncle in person soon enough. I think he’s calling to let me know he’s coming into town finally, like he planned to. Now go find your sister and go make nice with the neighbours.”

“Yes, Mom,” he said, and turned to go do just that. But he caught his mom’s reflection in the looking glass beside the coat closet, and he felt his feet freezing in place.

His mom had never looked like that before. All humour and kindness had faded from her face. His uncle _had_ said she hadn’t spoken to the family in years, but even at her angriest she’d never looked so…

So cruel. So mean.

“I understand. I will do my best, Commander,” she said, hanging up the phone. The way she was facing, she couldn’t see that Eren wasn’t gone like she had told him to, and instead she pulled the closet door open and reached inside.

 _What is she doing, there isn’t anything in there except—_ Carla pulled out the large gun the family kept in there in case of burglars.

He didn’t have time to wonder what she was doing before the screams started, and the sound of bullets leaving the weapon filled his ears.

Red painted the floor and walls behind the guests as Eren’s mother gunned them down before they could flee. Eren felt his heart leap into his throat, and his eyes went wide.

What was going on? Why was his mother killing them?

He turned and fled down the hallway, barreling into his room. He couldn’t see Mikasa - where was she?! No time for that, Mom was…! He ran over to his nightstand and pulled the single drawer open.

Inside rested the pistol his parents gave him for his tenth birthday. He pulled it out, checking to make sure it was still loaded. It was, and he flicked the safety off as he turned back to leave his room.

He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew who was causing it. His throat felt tight.

 _Mom—!_ His mind screamed in terror, but he forcefully shoved it aside. He let the gun rest at his side as he went to go join her.

He didn’t know why, but he knew _who_. And that was all that mattered. He wondered if the man on the phone was really his uncle. The voice had probably lied. Eren had no relatives. He had his mother, his father, and his sister. One of them wasn’t real. One of them was missing. One was going to be erased.

* * *

 

“I’m home,” Eren heard Mikasa call out as the door to the apartment opened. Eren looked up from the sofa, checking to see if Mikasa was alone - she was - before letting his head drop back down.

“Dinner’s on the counter,” Eren replied, “welcome home.”

“Nightmares?” Mikasa asked, and he grunted.

“How’d you guess?” he asked, and she gestured at him vaguely with a hand.

“You’re crying. You only cry when you dream of Carla,” she said quietly, and Eren wiped at his face, surprised to feel the damp against his skin.

“Yeah. It was just a dream.”

But the heavy weight that pressed against their hearts reminded them both that it was much more than that. It wasn’t merely a dream, but a memory. A memory that could never be forgotten. A memory that would never be forgiven. A memory they shared and endured together.

“Come on, eat something before you pass out. How was school? How was work?” he asked, rolling onto his stomach and watching her move around the small kitchenette. She poured herself a glass of juice and leaned against the counter, ignoring the plate.

“It was fine, as normal.”

“No one gave you any shit?” he asked, and she raised a brow.

“Would you be able to do anything if they did?” she countered, and he wrinkled his nose.

“I would, and you know that.”

“I know, Eren. I’m sorry, it was a long shift and I hate people,” she growled, and Eren smiled slightly. There was the grouchy sister he knew and loved.

“But no trouble?”

“No. Same as always. You can do my homework, I’m going to bed.”

She put her glass in the sink, and Eren frowned.

“You need to eat—”

“I ate at work, Eren.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said bluntly. “Your hands are shaking, which only happens when your blood sugars are low. You haven’t been taking your pills either, I counted, and don’t think drinking juice will hide it. You get a pinched look around your eyes because of the headaches—”

“Eren, I am _fine_ ,” she snapped, slamming her hand against the wall. “I’m tired, stressed, and sick of pretending that nothing is wrong!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, turning his face away. “Go to bed. Get some rest. You have to go to class in the morning. Your homework will be on the counter. Please try to eat breakfast and don’t get hurt or start a fight at school.”

“I will be on my best behaviour. And I don’t start fights,” she said, “that’s you.”

“Goodnight,” Eren said, not looking at her. He knew she was watching him, reflecting the same worry in her heart that was in his own.

“Goodnight, little brother,” she said gently, before going to the single bedroom. Eren waited for several moments before rolling over and stretching.

“God damn it, Mom. I can’t do this,” he whispered. “Why did you do this to us? Why did you abandon us?”

He eventually got off the sofa, putting the untouched plate in the fridge and cleaning the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee before pulling Mikasa’s backpack over. Using her favourite purple pen, he started looking over the homework assignments. Math, English, Biology, and Psychology.

“It’s going to be a long night,” he sighed, pulling the Biology assignment closer. Might as well go alphabetical.

He was able to finish the homework within a couple of hours, carefully penning them to match Mikasa’s meticulously formed letters. Years of practice let Eren be able to perfectly mimic her handwriting, and it came in useful when Mikasa needed a break from pretending to be a normal high-school student. Having to attend school and work to support their meager existence was a lot of pressure on her, and so Eren tried to do what little he could to help her get through it.

It never felt like enough. He wished she didn’t have to do it all for them. But he looked too much like his mother and father to safely walk the streets. Mikasa looked nothing like them and already had public school records. It hadn’t been hard to keep the world spinning for her after his had stopped in its tracks.

By the time Mikasa was waking up for school, Eren had passed out, curled up next to her on top of the covers. He barely registered her shifting to pull him closer, wrapping the blanket around both of them and remaining that way until she had to go to school. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but they had to move on, and they only had each other to rely on. The world wouldn’t accept the truth, so they had to live the lie. He only needed to get through one day at a time, and the lie would get easier to believe as time passed.

But Mikasa never came home that day, and the light on the answering machine was blinking. By the time the door was broken down and the room was filled with armoured SWAT units, Eren’s trail was cold.


	2. Nightmares

It was chance that they found the Jaeger girl. It was a day off and a group of the trainees opted to go downtown and do some shopping.

“We should watch this,” Connie said, holding up a movie case with a ‘NEW!’ sticker smacked on the front of the shrink-wrapped package. Jean wrinkled his nose, shaking his head.

“No, if we’re making this a movie night, let’s not watch something that’s complete shit,” he countered, reaching behind the shorter boy and pulling a case off the shelf as well. Armin rolled his eyes as the two boys started their pointless arguing, not wanting to get involved. He knew how it would end. Sasha and Marco would come back from the frozen food aisle with their snacks, put them in the cart, look at the two movie options and then pick an entirely different one, and the two boys would give in and watch whatever the two suggested.

It didn’t even take analyzing the situation. At this point, it was just routine. He let his eyes roam the faces around him, tuning out the bickering. But his mind was brought back into sharp focus when a flash of grey and black walked past, and he stood up straighter, body rigid. Connie and Jean went quiet, turning slightly to look at him questionably.

“Tell me you brought your guns with you,” Armin said lowly, his hand already moving to check his own weapon. It was present, as was regulation when leaving the base. While it was their day off, duty never rested and one must always be ready to act in the defense of their country. He could see Jean and Connie making the same check, and he heard a sharp breath draw in behind him.

“What’s going on?” Marco asked softly, even as he leaned over Armin to put the frozen goods in the cart. Armin didn’t take his eyes off of the too-familiar face at the end of the aisle, and Armin whispered lowly.

“I know her.”

“And that’s not a good thing?”

“No, considering _how_ I know her.”

Marco made a confused noise, but Armin gave a sharp shake of his head, silencing any questions.

“Not the time, Bodt. Just be prepared to fire if necessary. She wouldn’t hesitate in return.”

But it was too late to make the first move. They had lingered too long, the silence too deafening in the small supermarket aisle. Her face turned to look them over, her almond-shaped eyes roaming their faces before landing on Armin’s.

He could see her eyes roaming his features, her face never giving away the recognition he could see burning in her gaze. He felt a sense of dread and relief pass through him as she set her small hand basket on the floor and turned out of the aisle.

“After me,” Armin said, setting a brisk pace after her. He could feel the others falling in line, their steps echoing in unison. The girl stood outside the store with her back turned towards them, and as the automatic door slid closed behind them her hands rose into the air, showing the group that they were empty.

“Hello, Armin. A pleasure to see you again. Have you been well?”

“Mikasa Jaeger, you are under arrest for crimes against humanity. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you,” Armin started, moving forward and pulling the handcuffs off of his belt.

“I never expected you to join the military,” she said softly. “Eren will be proud of you. He always knew you would go far. Are you eating regularly? It’s not healthy to skip meals, you know--”

“I wouldn’t talk, Jaeger,” Armin cut in harshly.

“Life was so much simpler as children, wasn’t it?”

“…It’s good to see you again, Mikasa. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“It’s okay. Though I doubt these handcuffs are the same kind we played with as kids.”

“No, they aren’t,” Armin agreed, even as he pulled Mikasa to sit over on a bench. They had to wait for a car to come grab them. The others remained silent, their guns drawn and ready to shoot the woman beside him. “These don’t have a safety release.”

“Pity. I’m going to be late for dinner.”

“Don’t worry, Eren will be joining you for dinner tonight instead.”

Mikasa looked over, offering a sad smile.

“I doubt that, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it? I don’t think we’ve all shared a meal since Carla was alive.”

“Don’t talk about her,” Armin snapped, losing the kind tone he had taken with her. Mikasa sighed sadly.

“Now you sound like Eren.”

That caused a stir of unease in his gut. He hadn’t seen Eren Jaeger or his sister, Mikasa, in almost five years. The last he had heard was that they escaped in the confusion their mother, Carla, had started at her party. The uprising had taken days to quell, but the military _had_ stopped it. The body count had been too high though, so it was a bitter victory. That was when Armin knew he could never let something like this happen again, not when he could prevent it.

He was never going to let a family like the Jaegers slide under his radar again to destroy his home and loved ones.

The call was placed to the base, and a car was being dispatched to come collect them. Armin wondered why it was regulation to carry a firearm on him at all times, but that secure vehicles were rationed out sparingly and only for use in actual conflict or dangerous situations. The others would be going back in the car that they drove down here, but the car that the base would be sending had more secure holding for suspects in the rear. There wasn’t much to do but wait, Mikasa having fallen silent beside him. Her eyes stared blankly at the ground between her feet, her dark hair falling to hide her features.

It struck him again how Mikasa looked nothing like her brother or parents. While the other Jaeger family members showed strong European roots in their features, Mikasa was delicate and frail in comparison. Instead of having the brown hair of her brother and mother, she had inky black hair that held no hint of a curl to it, unlike her family. Her eyes were slanted and had neither the grey nor blue of her family. She was distinctly of Asian descent, which always confused him. Why would the Jaegers have an Asian child? It hadn’t bothered him as a child, but now that he knew the truth it made no sense.

The Jaegers had been terrorists fighting for their home country. Why would they have a child who wasn’t German? It didn’t make sense.

There wasn’t much time to keep pondering it as the squad car pulled up to the curb. There were no strobe lights on top, and the local police insignia was not embellished on the body. Instead, it was a standard military brown, with the black letters boldly printed on each side.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

No words were exchanged as Armin guided a docile Mikasa into the backseat. When the door was closed, locked from the outside and secure from the inside, the woman driving raised a thin, red eyebrow at him.

“Are you sure she’s a terrorist?”

“I grew up with her family,” Armin said shortly. “There’s no question about it.”

The woman went quiet, getting back into the driver’s seat. It wasn’t a secret that Armin was one of the few survivors of the massacre his neighbourhood went through five years ago, and it also wasn’t a secret that it was not a topic to pursue. Any time it was brought up, Armin grew sullen and angry, his normally friendly facade turning into a dark, roiling storm, and so any mention of that time was better left unsaid.

The ride back to the base was silent, except for Mikasa humming to herself quietly. Armin vaguely recognized the tune as a nursery rhyme that was often sung in the Jaeger home, and it made him feel nauseated.

_Three blind mice, three blind mice, see how they run?_

* * *

 

Levi pulled his helmet off, shaking his head to get his damp hair off of his face. The full-body armour was suffocating to wear, and if it weren’t required he’d never bother with the full suit. But he was dealing with a Jaeger, and the situation was unknown and a chance not worth risking.

It had been five years, but the fear that the name Jaeger could bring up in the average citizen had not lessened. It was a name only whispered, never spoken. Most people tried not to even think about it, or how that name was associated with one of the largest terrorist attacks seen on American soil in over a decade.

“Clear!” he heard called from the back room, and Levi swore under his breath. How had the brother found out? It was then that he noticed the blinking light on the counter, and he wandered over to it.

It was an answering machine, a device that had long gone out of style with the advancement of cell phones and voicemail technology. But here it was, sitting next to a dingy plastic phone, and he carefully pressed the button that would play the new message.

“New message at two-thirty-five P.M.,” a robotic female voice read, and then a long tone followed before a woman’s voice spoke.

“Hey Dad, it’s me. I saw a friend and thought I’d go over to his place for dinner. Don’t save anything for me, I’m spending the night. Be safe! Don’t forget you work tonight, time is money.”

The message cut off there, and the room was silent, looking at the machine. One of the other squad members pulled their mask off, and the face of one of the newer recruits was revealed.

“How did she have time to call? It wasn’t even a minute from when she left the aisle to when we cuffed her outside!”

“She would have called on the walk out. You can hear the movement of air against the speaker. She was in motion when she spoke. It was a warning,” another recruit, the Arlert boy, replied, lifting his own visor up to reveal an annoyed look.

“Why did he leave it on the machine though? Wouldn’t it have been better to erase it? He left it showing as new,” another voice said, muffled by the mask.

“He didn’t finish the message. He was out of the door at the first words. This machine has never been used before,” Levi noted, looking at the setup. “There’s dust all over it, and the tape has never moved. They’ve only lived here a couple months, there wouldn’t have been enough time to need to change it since moving in.”

“So we’re at a dead end, again,” Arlert sighed, running a hand through sweat-soaked bangs. Levi glanced over at him.

“We have the girl, would the boy abandon her?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “The boy I knew wouldn’t, he was very protective of her. But…”

“That was before the attack.”

“Yeah,” Arlert agreed. “I don’t know if what I remember about him is even the truth.”

“Well, let’s secure what we can here and keep an eye out in case he decides to return. Arlert, you’re in charge of recon. I’ll get security set up and meet you at the base,” Levi ordered, and the younger man saluted.

“Yes, Corporal!” he said, and Levi dismissed him from his sight.

“Something isn’t right here. Why would he run?”

“He doesn’t want to get caught.” The face of his subordinate, Petra, revealed, her face also shining with sweat. The full-body armour suits were a pain in the ass to wear in the middle of summer.

“He did flee as a child,” Levi recalled, and Petra nodded.

“He was only eleven at the time. Do you really think he was part of the attack?” Petra asked, her voice showing her doubt. “He would have been just a boy.”

“A boy born and raised by sleeper agents, Lieutenant Ral,” he reprimanded. “The possibility of him being trained and raised to fight for their cause is too great to let him run amok. It’s not a secret that his family was the head of the agents in this country, and he would still hold that responsibility for any that remained.”

“So you think this will happen again,” Petra noted, and Levi gave a sharp nod.

“It was ended too easily. Carla Jaeger was taken down with a single bullet, execution style, and the shooter remains unknown and the weapon was never recovered. Grisha Jaeger is still at large, their son went missing during the attack, and now we have a lead on his trail. We find out there was a sister involved, and we have her in custody. Too much is unknown, and the attack didn’t last as long as it should have. Only the agents that had been sleeping in that state rose to the battle, and they were placed in charge of a _nation_ of them. Why would I believe this was all I should expect?”

The rest of the ride back to the base was silent as they both dwelt on those facts. It had been too easy, though the body count would say otherwise. The fact is that Levi knew it could have been much worse. There were too many unknown variables, and he hated not knowing all of the facts almost as much as he hated it when the new recruits left the locker room a disaster.

“Remind me to get dorm 104 on latrine duty,” he told her, and she grinned.

“Yes, Corporal.”

* * *

 

Eren didn’t stop moving until he was near the city limits, sliding to the ground in a small alley, the only witness a cat sitting on the dumpster that jumped down and ran away after he entered its domain. He had the hood of his jacket up, which made him feel too warm in the July heat, and he pressed his hands over his eyes.

They had Mikasa. They had his sister. How? How did they find out?

There were no records of when Mikasa came to live with them. She wasn’t his sister by blood, and that was clear enough from how different they looked. The only way someone would have connected Eren and Mikasa together is if they had known them personally, and there weren’t many people alive who could do that.

When the phone had rung, he’d felt his pulse start to race. When the code word came through the shitty answering machine he had picked up at a thrift store, he hadn’t bothered to stay to hear the rest.

Mikasa would only call and call him ‘Dad’ if the shit hit the fan.

He didn’t know how he was going to get her back, but he’d be damned if he left her to their care. They’d accuse her of being a part of that— that shit that happened. They’d think that she was just like his mother, and he wouldn’t let her be ruined because of this. She was so close to graduating high school, of being able to separate herself from his tainted name, and now… now it was all for nothing.

“I shouldn’t have been so selfish,” he breathed aloud, his words catching on a sob. “I should have left her a long time ago.”

He let himself cry for several more minutes before composing himself and wiping the evidence of his failure away. The glint in his eyes promised that this would not go unpunished. He would get his sister back, even if it meant taking up his gun for the first time in five years.


	3. Nightmares

Three days. It had been three days since the Jaeger girl was captured, and they were no closer to finding her brother than they had been before learning about her existence. It was aggravating, and the longer she remained in their custody, the less likely it seemed the brother would come out of hiding to try and rescue her.

Levi hated having to sit with his thumbs up his ass like this. Progress was finally being made on the most horrific attack in a decade, and they were glorified babysitters for a brat who doesn’t exist, and unable to find a 15 year old kid with the city in the middle of a lockdown. There were soldiers scouring the streets, keeping an eye out for the boy, and the Jaeger boy’s apartment - rented under the name John Ackerman - was under constant surveillance in case the boy was stupid enough to come back.

“Still no sign?” Hanji said, dropping into the chair beside him. He spared her a glance, seeing her frazzled, post-lab state, and leaned back in his chair with a groan.

“Nothing. Any luck with the sister?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“No. There are no records for her. Mikasa Jaeger doesn’t exist. Her school records are under the name Mikasa Ackerman, but even those lead back to a dead end. Mikasa Ackerman is the daughter of Seiko and John Ackerman, who lived out on the outskirts of the Shingashima District. The physical address is correct, but no one has lived there for a long time. Everything’s rotted and decrepit. We have watchers out there in case it’s a safehouse for the two. Sounds like you’ve been outsmarted by a little kid,” Hanji teased, a smile stretching across her face. He glared at her, sliding back from his desk and standing. He tried to not notice how she was still only a little shorter than him when seated.

“I’m going out. Call me if you find anything else about the Jaeger girl, or if you find any other useful information.”

“Gotcha!” Hanji said, sliding up to his desk and turning the computer on.

“And I swear to God, if there’s porn on my computer when I get back—”

“Don’t worry, Short-stack, Erwin threatened to disable internet access in the building if I did that again.”

“You shouldn’t do that at work to begin with,” Levi grumbled, slamming the door to his office closed behind him.

He sighed, straightening his uniform before striding down the hall and heading towards the parking garage.

He doubted him being out on the field would help the search, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

* * *

 

Mikasa stared at the wall across from the bed, tracing patterns along the painted brick to pass the time. She had never expected Armin to find her; she hadn’t known Armin survived that day. In the midst of chaos her only focus had been escaping the insanity, and then after that she had avoided all thoughts of That Day.

All she could hope was that her little brother wasn’t stupid enough to try and save her. For being an intelligent young man, he had a serious overprotective streak and a hero complex. She wasn’t in danger here, he was, and as long as he remained out of reach, everything would be okay.

“Mikasa, starving yourself won’t get you anywhere,” Armin said, coming into the room with a plate. He wasn’t at ‘risk’ for being in the room with her, the chains around her wrists and ankles keeping her from being able to reach the door even if it had been left wide open.

“I’m not hungry,” she said mildly, “but I would like some juice.”

The shaking in her hands was becoming harder to hide, and she hadn’t been able to take any of her medications since arriving. Armin appeared to not remember that she always took them before her meals, but she didn’t blame him. It had been years since they’d seen each other, and the circumstances weren’t to her benefit either.

“You’re going to make yourself sick,” he scolded, sitting down beside her. He held up the plastic spoon, a scoop of potatoes on it, and brought it to her mouth.

“Please eat. I don’t want you to make yourself sick.”

“So you can abduct me, but not starve me. Isn’t that flawed logic?”

“We didn’t abduct you. You were arrested. You still have rights and needs that we are required to take care of.”

“So I’m obligated to eat, is that what you’re saying?”

“Why are you being so difficult?!” he snarled, slamming the spoon down on the tray. It slid off the bed, splattering the contents over the floor. It went ignored as Mikasa let herself wander into the haziness of her own thoughts.

_‘My sugar is too low,’_ she mused. She could hear Armin saying something, but she didn’t hear as her eyes slid closed.

* * *

 

_For a department that focuses on security, it’s not that hard to get into,_ Eren thought, tugging the cap lower on his head. He had been watching the building for days now, memorizing and noting the different faces and uniforms that came in and out. After careful planning and consideration, he had gone with a cleaner’s uniform for the sole fact that they had caps and face masks that would help hide his identity. While the face mask wouldn’t cover his whole face - it was merely designed to deter breathing in fumes, not obscure the face - it would be enough to hide the infamous Jaeger face.

He didn’t have time to doubt himself as he came in with the laundry crew. He helped bring carts of new linens and materials in, and then broke away from the group during the gathering of dirty laundry. He had a goal, after all, and he wasn’t officially on the roster. Staying in the group too long would have drawn more attention than needed. He carted a full tub of laundry with him, his equipment hidden among the folds of towels and bed sheets.

He was passing an open door when he overheard voices. Carefully, he slowed down enough to listen to what they were saying. They both sounded younger than he had expected, but that fact easily vanished under the context.

“—passed right out on him. Had to take her down to the medical wing.”

“What caused it? I thought she was just being held and questioned, not… interrogated.”

“Low blood sugar and anemia. She hadn’t been eating either, apparently.”

“Why wouldn’t she eat?”

“Sasha, really, that’s what you’re focusing on?”

“Hey, food is amazing—”

Eren pushed on by, the squeaky wheel of the cart catching the attention of the three young soldiers in the room. He filed their appearances away in his mind for future reference, but he put on his widest smile and tried to look as sheepish as possible.

“Hi, do you have any idea where I am? I’m supposed to take these to residential, but all the halls look the same…” Eren trailed off, a hopeful tone in his voice. Two of the faces eased up, but one still regarded him with suspicion.

Well, shit. There went plan A.

“Yeah, man. I hear you. I still get lost and I’ve been here over a year now,” a shorter man said, his hair shaved close to his scalp. He moved forward - possibly to point out the direction to go - but before he could move past him Eren reached out. He quickly pressed down on the man’s neck, the body going limp in his grasp, before he picked him up and threw him at the other male, who had been reaching for a gun. The limp body knocked the other guy over onto his ass, the weapon spinning from his grip across the polished floor. It stopped at Eren’s feet, and he quickly leaned down and grabbed it, aiming it at the still-standing woman, who had her own gun out as well.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, his breathing heavy. “I just want my sister back, that’s all.”

“Fuck, you’re the Jaeger boy,” she whispered, and Eren grinned, though there was no humour on his face.

“Yeah, that’s me. And I don’t want to hurt anyone. I want my sister. I want to leave. I want all of you to piss off and leave us the fuck alone.”

“You killed Connie—”

“He’s not dead, I just knocked him out. He’ll be more or less okay in no time,” Eren assured. “Just take me to my sister.”

“I’m not going to do a damn thing you say,” she snarled. Eren sighed.

“I really don’t want to shoot you, lady.”

“I’ll shoot you first,” she promised, though her eyes wavered in their conviction. Eren let his face relax, knowing that it would make him look younger.

“Do you really want to try and see who can pull the trigger faster?”

He knew that his parents’ actions left a mark on his own name, and while there wasn’t any proof, the fact that he _might_ be able to was enough to have her lowering the gun.

“Fine. I’ll take you to her.”

“Thanks,” Eren said, and he meant it.

* * *

 

Levi’s cell vibrated in his pocket, and it was with no small amount of annoyance that he answered the incoming call.

“What the fuck is it?” he snapped, his eyes never leaving the dingy apartment. The voice of one of the new recruits - Kirstein, if he remembered correctly - came over the line, his voice sounding strained.

“You need to get back to base.”

Levi straightened up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Explain.”

“There’s been a… situation. We’ve been breached, Corporal, and I can’t get a hold of anyone.”

“Jaeger?”

“Affirmative. He disabled Connie— I mean, Spring—”

“Fatal?”

“According to the brat, no. He forced Sasha to take him to his sister at gunpoint.”

_A gun?_ Levi wondered, knowing that getting one through security was no small feat. Levi was heading back towards his vehicle, and he asked the recruit, “Have the alarms been sounded?”

“Not yet.”

“Good, leave them off. Let the boy think he has the advantage. He’ll be less on his guard and less likely to kill anyone if he thinks he still has the advantage. Good work, soldier.”

“Thank you, Corporal.”

Levi hung up, getting into the driver’s seat. He pressed the keypad, speed dialing the number of the base commander.

“Levi?” Erwin’s voice asked, mussed with sleep. This was understandable, as it was nearing midnight.

“We found the other Jaeger kid.”

“Do you have him in custody?” he asked, his voice much more alert now. Levi snorted.

“No, he’s currently breaking into our base to try and get his sister out. I’m on route to intervene and arrest him.”

“Good luck. I’ll send a message on to not sound the alarm,” Erwin said, and Levi was grateful he didn’t have to talk him through that part. Having worked together for almost two decades did have its merits.

“As far as I understand he is armed with a loaded weapon. He has taken one of our newer recruits hostage in return for his sister.”

“Do your best to end this without bloodshed,” Erwin cautioned, and Levi agreed.

“He’s better to us alive than dead.”

* * *

 

She wasn’t prepared for this. She understood that these things happened. Hell, they’ve been trained on how to handle a hostage situation, but this wasn’t the same. They never said what to do if the one holding you hostage was a minor. If he smiled at you kindly and said he didn’t want to shoot, and just wanted his family member - also a minor - back. They didn’t say what to do when they possibly killed your best friend using only one hand, and injured your comrades.

They didn’t teach you how to deal with a captor that radiated genuine innocence.

She knew he was still holding the gun on her. The hallways were suspiciously empty - where was everyone when she needed them?! - as they made their way down to the medical bay. She was tempted to do something - _anything -_ to not feel so helpless, so unable to do anything but what her captor asked.

“Please don’t make me hurt you,” the boy said again, his voice deceptively gentle. “I can tell you’re going to do something reckless. I don’t want to shoot, honestly.”

_But I will,_ hung in the air unspoken but well understood. She gulped, her eyes darting for anyone who could possibly rescue her from this. Her mind was numb, her heart beating so fast she swore it was going to break out of her chest.

They reached the medical bay without incident. It was also empty, the Jaeger girl lying on the white sheets with only handcuffs around her wrists securing her to the metal frame.

“Mikasa,” the boy breathed, and he moved up behind Sasha and pressed the barrel of the gun to her spine, behind her stomach. She could feel the contours of the metal weapon, and it sent a thrill of terror through her.

_This isn’t real, this isn’t happening, this can’t be happening to me. I’m a recruit, a newbie! This only happens to those people on TV shows._ Her mind screamed at her, a bubble of hysteria trying to work its way up her throat and out of her mouth. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and her body was beginning to shake against her will.

“I’m sorry you had to get involved. I honestly don’t want to hurt you, you didn’t do anything wrong, miss,” he told her. “I need you to kneel down on the ground with your back straight and your hands behind your back, please. You can get out of this uninjured if you listen, okay, sweetheart?”

She blushed at the term of endearment, but listened obediently. The hard linoleum floors were uncomfortable against her knees, but she didn’t dare fidget as she felt metal clamping around her wrist. She couldn’t help but flinch as she felt a hand brush at her ankle though.

“Don’t worry, I’m just securing you. I don’t want you to decide to play the hero. It only ends in pain,” he said soothingly, and she felt the cool touch of metal as he handcuffed her wrist to her ankle. He repeated it with her other wrist, so that the chains were intercrossing at her back. There wasn’t much slack, and she was forced to lean back to stop her wrists from digging into the unforgiving steel.

“There, now you’re going to be okay. Someone will come and find you, and you don’t have to be hurt. I’m just going to take my sister, and you won’t be in trouble. You didn’t have a choice in me rescuing my sister, but you made all the right choices in getting me to her. No one was hurt, and that’s because you made the right decision. Good girl,” he said, running a hand briefly over her hair.

“Step away from her and raise your hands in the air, or I will shoot your sister,” a deep, cold voice spoke from the door, and Sasha couldn’t hold her sobs back any longer.

Corporal Levi had come back. Someone was going to save her.

* * *

 

He had thought the most difficult part of joining the army would be the combat. Having to fight against another human being and possibly take their life was the worst thing he could have thought of when it came to being a soldier.

But waiting was worse. Waiting when he _knew_ his friend could die, and being told to hold his position until otherwise told. Knowing that an armed killer had his friend hostage, and was trying to break out a prisoner, and _being unable to do a fucking thing_.

It felt like that night again. That night that Hell erupted in his hometown.

And the same people were causing it to happen again.

“Fuck!” Armin snarled, slamming his hand on the table. The other recruits jumped at the noise, and they all looked at him.

“Why are we just sitting here, doing nothing?! Sasha could be killed, and we’re just sitting here having a fucking tea party!”

“And what would you do?” Jean muttered, an ice pack held against his head. “Antagonize the brat and make the chance that Sasha will die a certainty instead? We could get out of this without shedding blood, and you want to risk that to get your revenge?”

Armin started to rise to his feet, but a large, firm hand pressed him back into his seat. Looking up, he felt his throat tighten.

“Well, boys, while I’m glad to see you’re all gung-ho, you’ve forgotten to factor one thing into the situation: Eren Jaeger,” Dr. Hanji Zoe, the head of the Recon and Intelligence Department, said jovially.

“And?” Armin said, a little testily, though with much more respect than before. This was his future boss, after all.

“And,” she stressed, pulling a chair over and dropping into it, “Eren Jaeger is the last known connection to identified sleeper agents in the good ol’ US of A. We need what he knows, and he can’t tell us that if you fill him full of lead. While it _would_ resolve the situation faster, it won’t help us. We’d be even worse off than we were before, and with one less source of information.”

Armin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to calm his temper. He _knew_ that, but it was hard when the source of all of his nightmares and problems was in the building.

“Levi’s dealing with the situation,” Hanji assured, “so we should come out of this ahead. Don’t doubt your commanding officers, and don’t doubt your friend. I’m sure Sasha will do everything in her power to come out of this unscathed.”

* * *

 

Eren didn’t flinch, despite his body’s natural reaction to do so. While cursing himself for setting the gun down to secure the woman, he let his hands rise above his head and rose slowly to his feet. His heartbeat stayed steady, despite the dread building in his stomach.

He had been _so close_.

“Step away from her,” the man demanded, and Eren moved to step towards Mikasa, but the man cleared his throat.

“Step away from _both_ of them,” he clarified, and Eren side-stepped, moving towards the voice instead.

“Now, lace your fingers behind your head and remain still. We can get out of this without any bloodshed if you cooperate,” the man mocked, repeating the words Eren had told the woman. Said woman was sobbing now, her breathing growing erratic as her situation fully hit her. He felt a little bad at having to put her through that, but his sister took priority over a stranger’s comfort and mental state, and he didn’t regret doing what he had done.

He couldn’t let himself regret it.

“You are going to remain still while I handcuff you. Then I am going to take you to a holding cell. As of right now, you have no rights. You do not have the right to remain silent. You do not have the right to an attorney, or any legal representation.”

“I thought that was illegal,” Eren said lightly, and kept his body lucid while the man moved toward him.

“You don’t exist, so how can you have any rights?” was the response, and Eren sighed.

“I do exist. Or are you arresting a figment?”

* * *

 

Levi moved up to the boy, who was being rather complacent compared to the actions he had taken to get this far. It was this mindset that had him ready to intervene when the boy decided to stop playing the docile captive. Levi barely had time to move as the hand whipped out towards his neck, but he dropped, sweeping his leg out and trying to knock the boy to the ground. Trying, as he failed to do so. Instead, the boy jumped back, dropping into a crouch and grabbing the discarded gun before rising back to his feet and pointing it towards Levi.

“Don’t fucking move,” he spat, backing up to the bed where his sister was contained. “What the fuck did you do to my sister?!” His voice was deep and rough, pure anger radiating from each syllable. Levi snorted.

“She did that to herself. She refused to eat, and we didn’t know she was diabetic. We stabilized her before she could kill herself. Did you encourage her to do that?—” The sound of a gunshot rang in the air, and he felt the bullet pierce his leg, going through the meaty part of his muscle and coming out the back. He hissed, clasping a hand over his leg as the boy snarled.

“Don’t you _dare_ think I would ever hurt my sister, you god damn son of a—”

“Chill, kid, and put the fucking gun away. I thought you didn’t want any bloodshed.”

“Then let us go!” he cried, his voice taking on a slightly hysterical waver. “I just want to take my sister home, and be fucking done with all of this bullshit. Let us live in peace!”

“And if I let you go, is peace what we will get? Or will you awaken the rest of the sleepers that your parents never got to?”

The Jaeger boy paled, before he gritted his teeth and snarled, his hand clenching tight on the gun.

“I am not my mother. Don’t you _ever fucking—_ ”

“Eren?” a weak voice asked, the soft tone making the boy spin around and out of his range. Levi took this chance to rise unsteadily, his leg radiating agony as he put weight on it that it really _didn’t_ want to support. He readjusted the grip on his gun, and slid the small tranquilizer out of his holster.

This was getting too dangerous. Plan B it was.

“Mikasa, are you okay?” the boy asked, his voice gentling. “What the fuck happened?”

“I ran out of juice,” she replied, her throat raspy and dry.

“Why the fuck didn’t you eat? You can’t do that, we’ve talked—”

“Drugs.”

“Fuck the drugs! Let them drug you if it means you’re not skipping meals! Do you want to die?”

“Why not? It’d be nice, wouldn’t it? To sleep forever?” she said dreamily, and Levi wondered how lucid she was at the moment. The conversation had been enough time for Levi to prep the tranq though, and he didn’t hesitate as he aimed and shot.

The boy didn’t have enough time to turn around before the needle struck his shoulder, and the gun discharged one last time before he dropped limply to the floor.

* * *

 

The only sound left in the room was Sasha’s hysterical weeping.

“You need to calm down and breathe,” he told her, kneeling in front of her and placing a hand on each side of her face, forcing her to look at him. “You’re going to make yourself pass out or be sick. We’re going to get these off of you, but you need to stay with me and calm down. Breathe in, and out, and in,” he said slowly, soothingly, and Sasha gasped, trying to listen.

She was okay. She was going to live. They saved her, someone came for her.

Her thoughts spiraled right back down, causing her to hyperventilate. Levi’s eyes flickered between both of hers, and he asked her softly, “Would you like to be sedated?”

Sasha managed to nod her consent, and she barely registered the needle piercing her skin. As she slumped against Levi, she noticed that she wasn’t going to sleep.

“It’s not going to make you go to sleep. You will be conscious, but calm.” She felt a pull on her ankles and wrists before the tension in her slacked, and hands helped her to lie flat on her stomach, her arms being pulled out to the sides. A pillow was placed under her head, and a blanket was draped over her, and she started to giggle.

“I’m being put to bed. Time to sleep,” she drawled, her southern accent coming out stronger without her conscious efforts to constantly suppress it. Levi shook his head, pushing himself slowly to his feet and turning to walk towards the prone legs she could see out of the corner of her eye.

She was safe. The corporal came to save her.

* * *

 

Eren woke up in a cell. He remembered the events of earlier, but there wasn’t much he could do. He had fucked up, and now instead of him and Mikasa running to freedom, they were both prisoners. He didn’t move, knowing that there would be people watching him, and tried to think of what he was going to do now.

He didn’t have his gun anymore, they would have searched him and took any other tools or weapons away, and they weren’t going to give him anything that would help him in here. There wasn’t much he could do at this point, and he felt frustrated enough to scream.

But he didn’t. He’d done enough stupid things for one day. Might as well save it for tomorrow. They had caught him, and they weren’t going to listen to him. They wouldn’t believe that he hadn’t helped his parents, and that he hadn’t known what was going to happen, that he had tried to stop her—

_Don’t think about that right now,_ he reprimanded himself, and he slowly moved his limbs. They felt heavy, as if they were strapped to the surface below him, and it took several more tugs to realize that was exactly what they were.

No simple handcuffs for him, it seemed. They had him completely immobile, and the pressure in his bladder probably wouldn’t be enough of a reason for them to let him up. He wondered how they planned for him to eat, but then wondered if eating should be a priority to him given his stupidity.

Why had he shot? Why did he shoot him? He wondered if that decision would seal his fate, would never allow him to gain the freedom he so desired. To shed his parents’ shadow and become a name in and of himself. To be able to settle down with his sister and fucking live.

But he’d shot the man who had tried to stop him, and now he was being held captive.

“I know you’re awake,” the deep voice said, and Eren blinked his eyes opened, not bothering to fake anything at this point.

“Why does that matter,” he asked dully, staring up at the cracked ceiling. It hadn’t been painted in a while, and it was obvious by the rings of age forming in the paint. The man stepped into his line of vision and leaned down over, and Eren felt himself tensing automatically.

He felt helpless lying here, bound and held against his will, and the man had power over him. And they both knew it.

“Why did you come here? the man said quietly, his voice steel. Eren didn’t answer, and the man sighed.

“I told you, you don’t have the right to remain silent.”

“Why does it matter?” Eren said again, and he let his head tilt to the side. Or, he tried. There was a strap across his forehead. “I’m never getting out. Isn’t that enough for you?”

“No. You managed to get in. That will need to be addressed. You are also the son of Grisha and Carla Jaeger, and that will be addressed as well. You will tell us what you know, and then we can talk about your options from there.”

“Will it be a firing squad or lethal injection?” Eren asked, and the man’s lips thinned.

“You seem to assume your only options lead to death. That says a lot about how your parents raised you.”

“I broke into a military base, injured your people, took one hostage, and then shot you. You think I’m going to get out of this alive?” Eren responded, though he couldn’t bring any of the heat he could feel in his chest out in his words. He was too tired, too worn out.

“Depends. The only people who know that happened are here on the base right now. If you prove to be more of use to us alive than dead, I’m sure some things can be… forgotten, or confused.”

“I know your kind,” Eren replied. “It doesn’t matter what you say, you’ll do whatever you want in the end.”

* * *

 

Mikasa sat up in the bed, a pillow propped behind her. She was still chained securely to the bed, but she wasn’t lying flat on her back anymore. A nurse had come and washed her hair and body, putting her into a clean slip and attaching a new IV line to her. A plaster had been put across her cheek, and her hair had been trimmed to hide the hair the bullet had shaved off.

She was lucky it hadn’t killed her. A centimeter closer, and she wouldn’t be here to wonder what was going to happen now.

“Will you eat something voluntarily?” the blonde nurse asked, and Mikasa didn’t answer. With a sigh, the girl set the tray down, going over to a drawer. She knew from experience by now that those were where they kept the bags with nutrients in them, the ones they forced into her when she refused the food.

They weren’t going to make the same mistake twice. This time, they knew better.

“I wish you’d eat something. Your blood sugars were really low, and you almost killed yourself,” the nurse said, and Mikasa glared at her.

“Why do you care? I’m a prisoner here, not a guest.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you are not my patient,” she replied with a firm tone. “You could be the second coming of Hitler, and as long as you were my patient I’d do all I could to keep you healthy and whole for your time under my care.”

Mikasa blinked, leaning back on the bed and resuming her game of ‘count the dots’ on the far wall. She had lost count, and it was all she could do to keep her attention off the blonde who was too kind for her own good.

It would get her killed, of that Mikasa was certain.

“How is my stubborn patient?” a woman asked, coming into the room. The large, white lab coat was splattered with something Mikasa couldn’t identify, and the blonde girl smiled brightly.

“I’m just about to attach an IV and give her some insulin,” she said cheerfully, and the woman gave a gentle grin.

“Good, though you shouldn’t refuse solid food. Nutrients can only do so much to keep you going, especially with the condition you’re in. Suicidal or not, you can do that on your own time. As long as you’re in my ward, you’re leaving it alive, understood?”

Mikasa ignored them, counting the dots once more. She wanted Eren.


	4. Lucid Dreams

“Now what?” Hanji asked, leaning next to the window that showed the interrogation room. The Jaeger boy was handcuffed to the sole chair, and he didn’t seem to be perturbed by being left alone and chained. He was slouched in the chair - as much as the chains would allow him to be, at least - and his chin was resting on his chest, his eyes closed. To Levi, the kid looked damn near asleep.

“Now, we find out how much he knows. I very much doubt his parents left him in the dark.”

Hanji nodded. Levi straightened his jacket, left the observation room, and a few moments later, stepped through the door into the interrogation room.

“Eren Jaeger, fifteen years old, only known child of Carla and Grisha Jaeger. So, any defense for yourself?”

“I’m not… I did nothing wrong,” Eren said, not even lifting his head. His words came out low and dull, his eyes not opening. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Of course not. Why would you? I’m _their_ child, I _must_ be involved, isn’t that right?” the boy said, a trace of bitterness lacing his words. Levi raised an eyebrow, leaning against the table.

“Well, considering your actions yesterday, I need more than your word.”

“I was only getting my sister. I had no intention of hurting anyone.”

“So you say. Yet, here I stand with an extra hole or two in my leg, and your sister isn’t much better off after your stunt.”

“…What?” _That_ got the boy’s attention, his eyes opening and his head shooting up to look at Levi. He let his head tilt to the side just a bit, not enough to give anything away, but enough to keep the boy’s attention.

“When you were having your fit, you pulled the trigger one more time, striking your ‘sister.’ That doesn’t look good for your claims, now, does it?”

Eren stared at him with wide eyes, a look of horror and fear forming on his face.

“You’re lying,” he whispered, his voice rough. “You fucking liar.”

Levi pulled a picture out of the manila folder tucked under his arm, placing it on the table. The Jaeger girl’s sleeping face, the red line covering her left cheek and a small inverted circle missing from her ear were all clearly visible. While Levi knew that the cheek had been stitched and the ear repaired to the best of the doctors’ abilities by now, the wound had been quite disturbing to look at prior. That was the picture he laid down on the table, watching the boy pale and then squeeze his eyes shut.

Then the phone rang.

If Levi thought Eren looked sick before, it was nothing compared to how he looked after the single phone on the table started to ring. His eyes flew back open, though he wasn’t looking at the picture or anything else in particular. His body stopped shaking, his hands clenching on the armrests and his chest stilling as he held his breath.

The phone rang again.

He started to shake, just a little. It started in his legs to begin with, but before the phone could ring again Levi picked it up, and Eren’s gaze focused on it.

How odd.

“What is it?” Levi snapped, and Erwin’s voice came over the line.

“Take him back to his cell, we have a situation.”

“I’m busy, Smith,” he snapped, but Erwin’s tone held no room for reasoning.

“Private Braus is awake, and she keeps calling for you.”

“Affirmative,” he sighed, setting the phone back into the cradle and looking over at the pale, sweaty child.

“Lucky for you, we’re done for today.”

* * *

 

Armin felt sick. Sasha had woken up, but she was inconsolable. The doctors didn’t want to sedate her again, but she refused to let anyone near her, crying out for the corporal.

Commander Erwin had come to ask her questions, and it was after she started to try and rip her IVs out that he called for Levi to come join them.

“What _happened_ to her?” Jean whispered next to him, watching as Sasha thrashed under the hold of a couple male interns. Connie lay in the bed to her left, still unconscious. They had been reassured that he wasn’t at risk of dying, and that he should be waking up any time now. That had been almost a day ago.

“We don’t know. But she was a hostage, that couldn’t have been easy,” Armin replied lowly, rage boiling in his stomach. Those damn _Jaegers_ kept coming and ruining people’s lives. When Corporal Levi came into the infirmary he didn’t even wait for instructions before walking up next to Sashsa, pulling the empty chair next to her bed closer and reaching a hand out to grasp one of hers.

“It’s okay, Private, you’re safe,” he said lowly, and her sobbing hitched, her eyes searching around until they landed on their joined hands. They traced a trail up the corporal’s arm until she saw his face, and then she started crying again.

“I thought it was a dream and that you didn’t come— I thought I was going to die—”

“You’re _safe_ ,” he repeated firmly, squeezing her hand. She hiccupped, her puffy, red-rimmed eyes focusing more and taking in the room. “You’re not in danger. Your actions stopped a lot of people from getting killed. I know that doesn’t make it better, but you are safe now. He can’t hurt you.”

“Someone was holding me down, who—?”

“You were going to injure yourself in your panic. It wasn’t him, it was a couple of interns.”

“I still hear him in my head. Calling me… telling me…”

“I know,” Levi repeated, and Armin felt nauseous.

_‘What had Eren done?’_

* * *

 

He had found her in the closet, her hands covering her ears and tears falling down her face.

“Mikasa, come on. _Hurry_ ,” Eren urged, reaching out and grabbing her arm, tugging harshly. There wasn’t time to be gentle. He didn’t know what to do at this point. Mom was dead and he couldn’t get a hold of Dad. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew they couldn’t stay _there_.

“Come on,” he continued, helping her rise to her feet. Her large, gray eyes were filled with tears, staring at him with a remembered horror that he wished she didn’t have to feel again.

“What’s happening?” she asked, her throat clogged with tears and mucus. He pulled her out of the closet, walking backward and towards the kitchen.

It was best to not go out the front door.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. But we need to go _now_ ,” he pressed, the urgency rising. He could still hear gunfire, could still hear the screaming. The stench of blood was strong, and he couldn’t dismiss the feeling of unforgiving metal against his spine.

“What about your mom, your dad?” she asked, and Eren shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll deal with that later,” he repeated, his mother’s smiling, proud face flashing in his mind’s eye for a brief moment before he pushed it aside.

He made sure as they passed the hallway that Mikasa didn’t look around, didn’t look into the living room. Didn’t see the bodies that littered the floor, didn’t see the blood they could smell so strongly.

He made sure that she didn’t pay attention to the trail of blood that smeared the floor and wall, didn’t see the pale hand sticking out from under the table.

They got out of the house and stood in the backyard. They had no bags, no clothing, no possessions. They didn’t have time to get them. The sounds of Hell still reigned around them, and Eren only knew one thing.

So he took his sister’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers. He led them out of the backyard, through the neighbours’ yards, until they emerged out onto a road two blocks away. They kept running, and when they finally stopped, they were cold, tired, and lost.

But it was better than where they had been.

“What are we going to do?” Mikasa asked quietly, and Eren gave her a look of determination.

“We’re going to survive. We’re going to kill them all.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Whoever is behind this. They won’t get away with it. I’ll kill them, Mikasa,” he promised. “I’ll kill them all.”

Eren woke up, tears blurring his eyes.

 _“Mom,_ ” he moaned into the dark, ignoring the shuffling of his guards outside the room.

* * *

 

“How are you related to the Jaegers?” the man sitting across from her asked. Mikasa stared at the table, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

It had been three days since they let her leave the infirmary. They were injecting her with insulin regularly now, though she still refused any of their meals. A foam cup of juice has started coming with her meals, however, and she drank it every time.

It tasted off though. She figured they were either drugging her or slipping her nutrients.

“What is your real name?” the man asked again, and again, Mikasa didn’t answer.

She hasn’t seen her brother since that one time in the infirmary. She still has bandages on the side of her face, so she hasn’t seen what the bullet did to her. A chunk of her hair was missing from the side of her head, and her hair hung unevenly in her vision. It blocked her view of the man across the table from her, a curtain of black hiding her from the world. She stared down at the table, able to see her restraints in her peripheral vision, and the dull grey clothing they gave her to wear upon being released from the infirmary.

“Did the Jaegers hurt you? Threaten you?” the man asked again, and Mikasa closed her eyes.

“I want my brother,” she said quietly. The man sighed.

“I can’t let you see him. You’re a suicide risk and he’s too dangerous to leave with you. If you cooperate with us, I can arrange a meeting between you.”

“I want my brother.”

“I want you to answer my questions.”

“I want my brother.”

“Do you know who gave orders to Carla and Grisha Jaeger?”

“I want my brother.”

“Do you know who killed Carla and Grisha Jaeger?”

“I want my brother.”

“Did Grisha and Carla tell you anything about the sleeper cell?”

“I want my brother.”

* * *

 

Eren was chained to the chair again. He took one breath in, one breath out, and tried to stay relaxed and placid. But his eyes were focused on the off-white telephone sitting on the table.

No one had come in the room since they brought him here. But the telephone has rang four times so far.

It was the fifth time it rang that the man who had stopped him from rescuing Mikasa entered the room again. ‘Corporal’ was all Eren knew him as, and to be honest, he didn’t care to know much more. He ignored the ringing phone, and instead leaned against the wall behind the table, silently watching Eren.

Eren was tense again, the calm he had tried to maintain breaking as the phone gave yet another ring. It seemed to never end, and Eren felt sick. He _knew_ it was stupid, but he despised phones. He hated the sound it made as it rattled on the table, wanting someone to pick it up and listen to the person hidden away on the other end of the line. He hated the disgusting colour, the aged and cracked plastic appearance that was so much like the one that had been on their wall—

The phone stopped ringing, and the man spoke.

“My name is Corporal Levi. You can call me _‘Sir.’_ If you cooperate with me, I can make your stay here a lot more enjoyable. If you fight me, it will only get worse. It’s up to you to make your time here either comfortable or distressing. I honestly don’t give a shit about what you choose, but it’s your choice in the end.”

“I want to see my sister,” Eren said quietly, his voice tense. His eyes wouldn’t leave the phone, even though he could see Levi moving in the background.

“And you can earn that, if you help us and be a good boy.”

_“You’re such a good boy, Eren,” Mom said with a smile. That smile never left her face, even as the bullet pierced the front of her skull, and blood—_

The phone rang again.

Eren pushed off the ground with his feet, his hands on the arms of the chair helping to brace him as it tipped back. He lifted his foot above the surface of the table and struck out. The bottom of his foot connected with the cheap plastic contraption, sending it flying from the surface with enough force to strike the one-way mirror behind Levi, shattering both the glass and the phone.

Eren let the chair fall backward, ignoring the pain of his head hitting the linoleum. It was quiet, except for his harsh breathing.

“Impressive,” was all he heard as he closed his eyes.

* * *

 

He could tell the kid hadn’t knocked himself out, even if he wasn’t moving and had his eyes closed. His breaths were too controlled to believe that was the case. He glanced at the mess behind him, the shattered panel of treated glass and the remains of the cheap telephone they had salvaged from the boy’s apartment.

Their plan hadn’t quite gone as they’d expected.

Levi had noticed the boy’s reaction to the telephone the last time he had been in here, and after that he and Erwin had devised this ruse. He hadn’t expected the boy to manage to pull off that move, which had been a lack of foresight on his part. His arms had been restrained - naturally - but he hadn’t thought about the boy’s legs.

He had underestimated the brat.

He stepped over the shards of glass carefully, crouching down near the boy’s head. He kept his voice low and in control, refusing to let the kid see how much his actions had unsettled him.

_How had he not thought about restraining his feet?_

“I think we’re done for today. You keep acting like this, and you won’t get to see your sister, Eren Jaeger,” Levi said lowly, watching the boy’s face for a reaction.

Nothing. Just slow, calm, steady breaths. Too slow, too calm, too steady. The boy was trying to get control of himself again. Neither of them had meant to slip up.

Levi knew he wouldn’t underestimate the boy again, that was for certain.

“Take him back to his cell,” Levi said, raising his voice. He stepped out of the room, pinching the bridge of his nose. Striding down the hallway, he felt more than saw Erwin step up beside him, matching his pace.

“That was unexpected,” Erwin noted, and Levi snorted.

“Understatement,” Levi muttered. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I guess he really dislikes the phone.”

“I don’t blame him, that piece of shit isn’t worth the plastic it was made from,” Levi muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Get someone to clean that shit up and replace the window, I’m not working with him again until it’s finished.”

“Yes, _Sir_ ,” Erwin mocked, and Levi sniffed disdainfully.

“Bastard.”


	5. Lucid Dreams

“We’re getting nowhere with them.”

The room was silent, the statement sinking into the minds of those in attendance. Ewrin sat off to the side, his eyes unfocused. Hanji was frowning, her elbows planted on the table and her chin resting on her interlaced fingers. Her lover, Moblit, was resting his own chin on a fist, his other hand a warm reassurance on the crook of Hanji’s arm. Petra was fiddling with a pen, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. Mike was still, his arms crossed and his back stiff and straight as always. Levi was pacing a strip of floor in front of the table, his hands fisted as he made the short circuit back and forth.

“This is the closest we’ve come to gaining ground in _years_ , and we’re being held back by two snot-nosed _brats_ ,” he snarled. No one spoke.

“What if…” Petra spoke up, flinching as Levi’s attention fell on her. His expression gentled, and this gave her the courage to continue. “What if we’re approaching this wrong?”

“Keep going, Lieutenant,” Erwin encouraged, and Petra let her eyes focus on the table to stop her from losing her nerve. Levi watched her take a deep breath, and he tried to ignore the empty spaces beside her that existed only in his head. He tore his gaze from her lone figure, instead staring at the wall behind her.

“We’re treating them as accomplices to Carla and Grisha Jaeger,” Petra said quietly. “But you keep saying it yourself, they’re _kids_. I… I have a hard time believing they were rallying for their parents’ cause. They didn’t stay to fight it out with the military like the other agents. They _fled_. They tried to stay out of sight for years, and tried their best to vanish. They haven’t been out causing chaos and havoc. They lost their childhood, and we’re treating them like hardened criminals. They’re _kids_. Why don’t we treat them like what they are?”

“They’re the kids of highly-trained terrorists, Petra. They’re not your average, run-of-the-mill teenagers.”

“Of course not, but that doesn’t mean they were in league with their parents!” she snapped. “They might have what we need, but how do _they_ feel about what happened?! Why did they flee?!”

Her words rang around the room, and she flushed darkly, ducking her face and covering her reddened cheeks with her hands.

“You have a good point. While they might have been trained, their actions aren’t consistent with their parents. We _know_ that the Jaegers were told to rise up and start their work, but they were put down. First was Carla, then Grisha. Both were eliminated in the same fashion, though at different times and different places. No one has come forward and claimed the glory of doing so. The fact that a third group might be out there, hunting the Jaegers, is still very likely. This other group might not be aligned with our cause,” Hanji spoke up, raising her head to look at everyone.

“We need to treat them like witnesses, not accomplices. They are only children, after all, and who knows what they’ve overheard, what they’ve discovered? Who knows what they’ve learned? We might even find out how Mikasa Jaeger joined the family, since she’s not genetically related.”

At the confused faces, Hanji flipped open another folder, pulling out some sheets of paper.

“I ran a blood test on both of them, and they share no DNA markers. While Eren does share DNA markers with the blood samples we have on file for Carla and Grisha Jaeger, the girl, Mikasa, doesn’t match any of the Jaeger samples.”

“Why is she with the family then? Could it have been…?”

“Kidnapping? Possibly. It’s hard to be sure of anything. Mikasa doesn’t act like a girl taken against her will.”

“Unless she doesn’t remember being taken,” Moblit pointed out to his lover, and she smiled sweetly.

“Of course. There is that. But still. She would have realized by now that she doesn’t look like any of the Jaeger family. She’s distinctly Asian, whereas the Jaegers have strong German roots, and on the mother’s side there is a strong vein of Turkish descent.”

“Sitting here thinking about it won’t get us answers. Those two brats down in holding _can_ , so what are we wasting time here for?”

“Lieutenant Ral, you’re to oversee the interrogations. You will work directly with Corporal Levi in whatever manner he requests. As for any of our soldiers who might hold personal grudges against the Jaeger children, they are not to be allowed access to the two kids. I don’t want any violence or harassment against them; that could destroy any progress we make. As far as what is and is not allowed in regards to their stay with us, Corporal Levi will oversee any decisions. Food, lodging, punishment, rewards, all are at your discretion, Levi.”

Levi saluted Erwin, before turning and striding from the conference room, Petra hurriedly getting to her feet and rushing after him, giving a hasty salute to the others in the room before following after her new commanding officer.

“Corporal Levi, sir?” she asked, her pace matching his as she fell in line behind him. He didn’t say anything, but glanced back at her to let her know he was listening.

“What… What exactly am I supposed to do? I don’t understand…”

“You will be my temperance. Your job is to make them comfortable, relaxed, and more willing to work with us. You are also going to make sure I don’t go too far out of line. If you believe I am overstepping my boundaries in regards to their treatment, you are to point it out to me.”

“Am I qualified for that, sir?” she asked, her voice rising in horrified shock.

“If not you, then who? You see them as innocent children, so you’re to make sure that I treat them as such. I work with terrorists and hardened war criminals, Lieutenant Ral, not _brats_.”

She gave a squeak, and any other questions were left unasked as Levi threw open the door to the girl’s cell. She was lying on the bed, her food untouched as usual, but the Styrofoam cup was empty.

“Get up,” Levi snapped, and to her credit the girl didn’t jump. She blinked lazily, her eyes drifting over to him. It was something he had grown used to, her lack of responses during interrogations a familiar routine between them now.

“If you _don’t_ want to see your brother…”

She rose to her feet, drawing the blanket around her as she stood. It brushed against the ground behind her feet, and her eyes finally had a spark of life showing in them.

“Take me to him,” she demanded, and he raised an eyebrow.

“For someone who’s being allowed to see their sibling against protocol, you sure sound demanding,” he drawled, and she grit her teeth.

“I want my brother!” she snapped.

“And I’m going to let you visit with him. I can change my mind if you want to be a spoiled brat about it,” he pointed out, and she clamped her mouth shut, a huff of breath leaving her in haste.

“Now come on, and stop being a brat,” he ordered, and turned to walk out of the room. Petra took the rear, keeping an eye on their prisoner, witness, whatever, as they made their way down to the end of the hall where the boy was being temporarily held.

“You can’t meet alone, not at this time, but you can remain in each other’s company for the rest of the evening. Your further cooperation will allow more visitations. Any behaviour that I deem unacceptable will be met with the loss of visitation privileges, and I don’t give a shit which one of you decides to act up. So keep that in mind when we meet tomorrow, understood?” Levi told her as he unlocked the door to the boy’s cell.

The door slid open, and for a moment he didn’t see the kid anywhere in the room. But the blanket and pillow were missing from the bed, and he could see a blanket balled up under the steel frame.

“Hey, brat, you have a guest.”

“Go the fuck away,” the muffled voice replied, confirming the location of the fifteen-year-old.

“I guess if you don’t want to see your sister, we can try again another time…”

The frame shifted as a messy, red-eyed face peered out from under the bed.

“’Kasa?” he asked, his voice hopeful. Levi crinkled his nose at the tone.

Seriously, these two had a majorly unhealthy sibling complex.

“Eren, why are you under the bed?” the girl asked, stepping into the room. Levi didn’t stop her, though he moved into the room after her. Petra spoke softly to the two guards outside the cell before she closed the door quietly, moving to stand beside Levi.

“Why are—”

“This is all they’ve asked for since we captured them. I need to give them something to start with, and I’m not looking forward to more… meetings where this is all they ask for.”

“You’re using them against each other, Corporal,” she said quietly. He hummed in response, watching as the girl - Mikasa, Levi forced himself to acknowledge, since he really should start using their names - crouched beside the bed to see her brother - see _Eren_ \- easier.

“This might not be the best route,” Petra continued, hesitance heavily lacing her tone. He knew she felt out of depth with her new responsibility, and he felt a surge of pride for her stepping up to fulfill it regardless.

“It might not be. But for now that’s all I have to work with. They’re kids. I will treat them as such. As they earn my confidence and respect, they will earn more privileges. I have no reason to believe that they’re not involved except your word, Lieutenant, so they need to prove to me that I should reconsider.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Don’t doubt your instincts, Lieutenant,” he told her. “That, above all, will serve you better than any regulation or rulebook that you will be handed. If your gut is telling you something, one of your senses is picking up a potential danger. Don’t ignore that, and you will get far.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, and they silent as they watched the kids interact. Eren had come out from under the bed, though he was wrapped up in sheets as well. Mikasa was lying on top of the bed, Eren’s head cradled in her lap as she smoothed his hair out and spoke quietly to him.

* * *

 

“There’s nothing to worry about. They’re making sure I take my medications, and I’m pretty sure my juice is laced with nutrient boosters. I don’t need to eat the food.”

“Yes, you do, Mikasa,” Eren said stubbornly. “I won’t have you getting sick and being unable to visit again, okay? I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life on an IV!” he hissed, his fingers digging into the loose material of her pants. She sighed, carding her fingers through his hair soothingly.

“I will try to do better.”

“Good,” he said, nuzzling her leg contentedly. He tried to ignore the two officers watching them, instead pulling the blanket higher. “Why are they letting you see me?”

“I don’t know. Something changed, and I don’t know what.”

“I… might have lost it earlier,” Eren admitted, and Mikasa’s hand stilled.

“Eren,” she said, her voice growing hard and sharp. Eren flinched, his fists tightening on her pants even more. “What did you do?”

“I broke their mirror, and a phone, and might have given myself a small concussion,” he admitted, and she hissed lowly under her breath, her fingers moving to look for an injury under his head of hair. Her touch was no longer soothing, but probing, and he flinched as she pressed against the tender part of his skull.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, her voice giving no room to _not_ answer.

“I… the phone. It kept _ringing_ , and it wouldn’t’ stop, and I wanted to see you and make sure you were okay but the fucking _phone wouldn’t stop ringing—”_

“Shhh,” she soothed, running her hand down his shoulder and arm, pulling him closer as he buried his face in her stomach. It was a familiar position for both of them, and it was easier to pretend they weren’t being watched as Mikasa comforted Eren. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“How?!” he snarled, his voice rising. “How is any of this okay? I shouldn’t have let you go to school, we could have stayed hidden better, and Hannes—”

“Hannes couldn’t do shit for us,” Mikasa reminded him. “He was running hot as well for getting us out of Shingashina. For all we know, he’s dead now. Going missing from school would have been too suspicious. You never went to school, Eren, but _I_ did. We talked about this before. We did everything we could.”

“I’m scared,” he admitted, and she buried her face in his hair, planting a gentle kiss.

“So am I,” she replied. “But we’re going to do everything we can to get out. Understand? Even if that means working with them. You didn’t have anything to do with what Carla did that day. You didn’t get involved. You _ran_ from it instead, Eren. That has to count for something. If we can prove that we’re not… little terrorists in training or whatever they believe…”

“We’re not safe, though.”

“We haven’t been safe since your mother decided to try and take over the United States,” she reminded him, and he sighed.

“Fine. I’ll play nice. But _you_ will too. And you’ll fucking eat your dinner.”

“Yes, little brother.”

“Time’s up,” the man said from his place against the wall, and the two sighed, detangling from each other. Eren felt Mikasa press a kiss against the side of his face, her voice whispering softly in his ear.

“See you soon. And _behave_.”

He watched her go, his heart constricting as they escorted her from his cell. The two guards he had grown used to being outside of his room - having seen them each time he entered and left - closed the door behind them, and as soon as the door was sealed he let himself fall over onto his mattress, drawing the blanket over his head.

“What do I do now, Mom?” he asked aloud to the empty room.

No one answered him.

* * *

 

“That… went rather well,” Petra said to Levi after they locked Mikasa back in her own cell. There had been less struggling, and he’d noticed her move over to her tray of food, picking it up with a look of distaste before he closed the door, blocking his sight of her.

“I hope to garner more cooperation on their end, as well as observe how codependent they are with each other,” he replied, locking the door and giving a nod to the two guards beside it.

“If she asks for more food, give it to her. She is to have access to food at any time,” he told them, and they replied to confirm the orders.

The next day once again had Eren sitting in a chair in an interrogation room, but this time the lack of chains was noticeable. He was also given breakfast, and Levi was seated across from him with his own meal.  Petra stood against the wall, holding a mug of coffee and nothing else.

“I’ve been persuaded to treat you as a witness versus a suspect. Depending on your responses and behaviour, I will alter your stay here. If you cooperate and provide us with what we ask, I will make your situation a much more enjoyable experience. If you fight me and make it difficult to get my job done, or you cause any more disturbances, your stay here will get a lost worse.”

At Eren’s nod, Levi continued.

“I expect you to be honest. If you don’t know something, don’t fucking pretend you do. But if you _do_ know something, don’t fucking pretend that you don’t. Understand?”

“Why did you let me see my sister?”

“She is your leverage. She is your reward. She was already told the same thing. If one of you decides to start shit, you lost visiting privileges. I expect you two to be on your best behaviour. Now, I’m going to start with a simple list. First question. Your real name.”

“Eren Jaeger.”

“Your parents’ names that you know of. Real and fake, if you have them.”

“Carla and Grisha Jaeger. I don’t know my mom’s maiden name.”

“Parents’ occupations.”

“My mom didn’t work. My dad was a surgeon at Trost Memorial Hospital.”

“Your school?”

“I was homeschooled.”

“Any extended family?”

Eren paused here, his teeth gritting as his hands fisted around his cup. The Styrofoam broke under his grasp, and the remaining coffee inside of it spilled onto the table. He gasped, his anger rapidly fading as he tried toweling it up with his napkin.

“I… I don’t know. I… I can’t…”

“Breathe, kid.”

“Sorry. I… It makes me… I don’t…”

“Moving on, then. We’ll talk about it later.”

This continued. If Eren didn’t want to answer a question right away, Levi would move on. He marked those questions that Eren had strong reactions to on his list, and at the end Levi had the guards take Eren back to his quarters.

He let out a slow breath as he finished scribbling notes on his pad, leaving for the observation room where Hanji was waiting, bouncing in her seat.

“Did you see his face? There’s so much to learn from him! The amount of training he would have needed to be able to hold himself in such control even when he wanted to rage—”

“That’s fine. I want your notes to compare with mine. Then I need someone to come fucking clean that table off before I meet with the girl.”

“Yes, sir!” she teased, handing over her own clipboard. He slipped his own paper onto it and stalked out of the room, intent on showering for no less than twenty minutes.

The girl’s interview went much smoother than her brother’s had. She knew a lot less than Eren did about the Jaeger home, and he made his own personal notes after she had been returned to her own quarters.

“So?” Hanji asked, coming back from her lunch break. Levi had eaten his lunch with the— Mikasa. She wasn’t a Jaeger, just like Hanji had said.

“I have a feeling Eren holds the key to what we need. His… _interpretation_ of his childhood is much different than Mikasa’s account.”

“Really?” Hanji asked, and Levi handed over the clipboard. She skimmed over the pages, humming and making other noises of exclamation before letting the pages fall to rest against the wooden slab.

“How fascinating! How can two kids, raised by the same people, have such a different views of their life together?”

“Because one can see what the other cannot, and that’s where we’ll be able to determine our next step.”

* * *

 

Eren was taken to visit Mikasa in her cell this time, and they curled up against each other again, soaking in the familiarity and comfort that the other provided. They hadn’t been apart this long since they met, and it was draining on both of them. Mikasa looked like she wasn’t sleeping well again, and Eren looked no better.

“I don’t like this,” Eren muttered, tugging his blanket over his head. Mikasa hummed, letting her fingers tap out a pattern on his arm. It wasn’t anything in particular, the beats not adding up to any words or letters that he could understand, so he stopped focusing on them and instead focused on his sister’s heartbeat.

“If it gets us out of here sooner, I’d rather you be unsatisfied with how it’s going and instead work more on not getting yourself in trouble,” she told him seriously.

“Have you been eating?”

“Yes, I have,” she replied. “I ate all of my meals. I ate lunch with… Levi?”

“Yeah, I think that’s his name.”

“You’re shit with names,” she reminded him, and he laughed lightly, the mood lifting for a brief moment at the familiar joke.

“I only got your name wrong once.”

“Once was enough. Really, do I look like a Jackman to you?”

“Well, if you want me to be honest…”

She laughed, and the sound brought a smile to Eren’s face. For one moment, he could pretend everything was going to be okay.

 


	6. Lucid Dreams

"You're not going to like today," Levi said as he set Eren's plate of food down on the table. Eren glanced up, confusion on his face. He had been woken up later than usual, and the man seemed to have already eaten since he had no food for himself. Eren hesitantly started eating his own meal, watching Levi closely as he pulled out files and sheets, arranging them on the table.

"I let you pass on these questions yesterday, but today I need the answers to the best of your ability. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," he replied, absently drawing his legs up onto the chair and hugging them. His fork was still in his hand, the prongs pressing into his arm as he squeezed his knees closer in comfort. The man gave a little sigh before sliding one of the sheets towards Eren.

"If you have a hard time saying it aloud, write it down. Whatever works best. We're not going to tackle them all today."

Eren nodded, not moving. Levi started his questioning.

"So, extended family. You had a hard time answering this one. Can you try to explain why?"

"I… I don't have…?" Eren started, hesitantly, feeling bile rising in his throat. "I don't think I have any extended family."

"Then why the strong reaction?"

"I… That day… He said he was my uncle, but… Was he?"

Levi paused in his writing, his eyes glancing up to look at Eren. He felt suddenly detached from his surroundings, and Eren latched onto that feeling, the words coming easier. This was familiar. He could work with this.

"He wanted to talk to Mom, but she was busy. You know, because we had a dinner party? So I wasn't going to bug her. She gets really annoyed when you bug her when she's busy. But he told me she'd make an exception for him. That he was her favourite brother, and when I told her that, she told me to keep him busy until she was done. 'Time is Money,' and all that. He said the same thing to me too."

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know. I didn't see him. He called on the landline."

"Was his voice deep? Young? Old?"

"It was… higher pitched. I don't know. It's hard… it was definitely a male's voice though?"

"Did he tell you anything else, besides that he was your mother's brother?" Levi asked, and Eren shrugged.

"Not really? He mostly asked me questions. He did say that our family was mad when Mom and Dad got married, and that's why they stopped talking to us. But I don't know if that's true…"

"Understandable. What did you talk about?"

Eren kept talking, holding onto that detached feeling as he answered Levi's questions.

"Mainly he asked me about what I did for fun, how I enjoyed school, if I went anywhere interesting recently… Just… normal things. I didn't even think that… that he could make Mom—"

When the redheaded woman who tended to follow Levi around came into the room, Eren stopped talking, burying his face into his knees and rocking back and forth silently, his eyes squeezed shut against the world.

"Eren?" she asked, crouching down by him, placing an arm lightly on his shoulder. He shuddered, drawing his legs tighter to his chest. It was quiet for a few moments, before her gentle voice spoke again.

"Would you like to go back now?"

He nodded, and she rubbed his back comfortingly as she slid the chair back, moving to stand in front of him. Her hand left his back, and he felt her fingers gently prying his loost from where they were digging into the thin material of his pants, and then her hands worked their way up his arms, unlocking them from around his legs. Her hands pressed down on his knees, and he let his legs follow her command.

He hadn't expected her to move up against him, drawing him into a hug. He expected even less to have her lift him from the chair, cradling his much larger form against hers. He didn't know how this small woman was able to manhandle him so easily - she was much stronger than she appeared - but he didn't resist her. He clung to her warmth, to her comfort, and buried his face into her neck to hide his tears.

* * *

Armin was on his way down to the labs when he came across them. At first, he wasn't sure what he was seeing, but he didn't have much time to puzzle it out before Lieutenant Petra was calling him out.

"Can you give me a hand?" she asked him, and he complied. He took her bag, helping her work it off of her shoulder as she adjusted her grip on the teenage boy clinging to her like a toddler. She made soothing noises as he began to shake again, and Eren settled down against her once more, compliant.

When they reached the cell, Armin unlocked it, the two guards normally posted there absent.

"Where—"

"Eren's meeting with Corporal Levi was supposed to go on for longer, so they were relieved for a break. We're going to wait here until they come back," she told him, and her request for help made more sense to him now.

"What happened?"

"That is for the corporal to tell, not me," she said sharply, and Armin wisely curbed any further questions. While Petra was kind and outgoing, a natural mother hen to all the new recruits, she was also their superiour officer. She didn't often issue orders – mostly turning them into requests instead - but that didn't mean she was a pushover, and it was easy to forget that she  _could_  order them around.

"Sorry, Lieutenant," he said, "I was out of line."

"Yes, you were. But enough of that. I shouldn't have asked you to attend to Eren with me, orders being what they are." She sighed, moving to the bed and kneeling down, letting Eren come to rest on the flat surface. She began to coax him to let go, her hands working gently to break his grip on her.

"Mom," he moaned, and she made hushing noises.

"It's going to be okay, Eren," she told him. "Just sleep now, okay? You don't need to do anything else today, okay?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled, and it wasn't long before Petra was straightening her uniform, staring down at the sleeping boy.

After several minutes, Petra shook her head, moving towards the door.

"Lieutenant?"

"We can wait outside," she said, and he didn't miss the command in her quiet words. He stepped out of the room, letting her draw the door closed and locking it. They leaned against the wall outside the cell, and Petra placed a hand over her eyes tiredly.

"You are to tell no one of being here, understood?" she told him, and he blinked. Before he could respond, she continued.

"Anyone who is close to Private Braus is restricted from coming down to the cells, and most especially from having contact with either of our…  _guests_ ," she said, drawling the last word a bit. Her eyes were hard, serious, and Armin nodded.

"Just in case, right?"

"General Smith was quite adamant that no brutality was to occur to the prisoners. As of right now, they're being treated as material witnesses instead of accomplices. Any… action taken in the form of vengeance will ruin whatever progress we are attempting to make. You are to pass this on to your fellow privates, understood? You are all justified in your anger, and I am not excusing the actions that were taken against Private Braus. But no late-night visits to the cells, or  _any_  visits to the prisoners, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" he said, saluting sharply. "I was on my way to the labs to assist Dr. Zoe with research. Is there another way to reach the labs that bypass the cell block?"

"Not one that's accessible to a soldier of your rank," Petra admitted. "You will need to have a superiour officer escort you until further notice."

Nothing more was said between them, and when the guards returned, Armin was excused to return to his previous duties. He continued towards the lab, his thoughts racing.

' _Material witnesses? What do they hope to achieve? Do they honestly believe that the Jaeger children had no involvement?'_

A traitorous part of his mind whispered to him,  _'What proof is there that they_ were _involved, except your own anger?_ _'_

* * *

Levi did not retrieve Mikasa earlier than normal, despite his time with Eren being cut short. He hadn't expected the boy to open up as much as he had that quickly, but it wasn't until the boy shut down completely that he realized why the kid had been so open.

_Exhibits symptoms of post-traumatic stress when questions of family is involved,_ Levi wrote in his notes, and then grabbing a different file, scrawled out another note.

_Eren Jaeger spoke to Leader(?)— highly likely._

When Petra let the girl in, Levi had finished with the Jaeger boy's files and had the sister's questions ready. She stared at the table, ignoring the plate of food resting in front of her. Apparently her willingness to eat food - on her brother's orders - had faded. He made a note of that in his notebook, letting her settle in before starting on his questions.

"Today will not be as pleasant as yesterday," he started, much like he had with Eren. "There were several questions that you didn't wish to answer, and while I let them slide yesterday, I will need to try and get as much as I can. I don't expect everything to be answered today," he clarified, watching her body tense. "The more you're able to answer, the less time we have to spend picking it apart. Is this clear?"

"Yes," she said quietly, picking up the nutrient-laced juice on her tray and sipping at it absently. He carefully scanned over his notes, before settling on the one that he kept asking himself repeatedly.

"How did you end up in the Jaeger household?"

Mikasa didn't freeze, her hand didn't tremble as she moved the cup away from her lips. Her body didn't flinch at the words, didn't show distress, and to the untrained eye she was unaffected by his question. But just like last time, she didn't need to do any of those things to show that her guard was up. Her eyes were cold and hard, and didn't waver from a point she picked seemingly at random, as if she had decided that if she didn't have look at him, it wasn't real.

"I was rescued," she said, her words not wavering, rising in tone, or dropping into a whisper. Her voice was level, even, but emotionless. It was similar to the detached tone Eren had taken, and he noted that despite not sharing genetics, they shared many other behavioural traits.

"Who rescued you?" he continued, but the answer he received was not what he had expected.

"Eren."

He paused, his pen hovering over the paper, ready to write one of the Jaeger adult's names down. He stared at her, trying to assess if she was being truthful.

"Was Eren there with one of his parents?"

"No. He was there alone. Grisha found both of us a few hours later, after… after it was all over."

It was that waver in her voice, the way she had to pause to keep up her completely calm appearance that gave away her distress. He made a note to follow up with both kids on this topic before moving onto a new question.

No need to have a repeat of Eren's… breakdown.

"What do you know of the Jaeger's extended family?"

"They don't have any that I know of. Eren's grandparents were never spoken of, and they never talked about any aunts, uncles, or cousins. I asked once, but Carla brushed it aside, saying that she was an only child."

He noted that she didn't hesitate to answer, that her body was relaxing. He hadn't asked her these questions before, but Eren's interrogation -  _'Interview,'_  he imagined Petra reminding him - made them information that needed to be expanded on as much as possible.

"The night of the dinner party-" Mikasa tensed up again at his words, but Levi continued regardless, "-a phone call was made to the Jaeger home. Do you know who was on the phone?"

"No. I heard it ring, but I was in my room, waiting to be told I could come join the party."

"Why weren't you at the party to start with?"

"Carla was particular about her parties. She would begin them with Grisha - if he was present - and make her rounds with the guests. Then she would come get us after a while, and we would make our own round of greetings. After that, we'd have dinner, and then we'd be sent to bed while the adults had coffee and dessert. I was finishing getting ready to go out when the gunshots started."

"And you never heard who was on the phone?"

"No. Why is that so important?"

"It is very important. That phone call was what prompted the attack."

Mikasa took another sip of her drink.

"So that's why… Eren never said a thing. I knew he had an issue with the phone, but…"

"Eren took that call, yes, and he spoke to the individual who we believe is in charge of whatever agents remain in the country."

"Eren doesn't have anything to do with that," she said, her voice growing cold. "He isn't like them."

"For his sake, I hope he isn't either. But you have to understand our position here," he said, setting his pen down and lacing his fingers together. "The Jaegers were the head of the cell in the United States. They were the ones who would have had knowledge of other agents, of who would be above them. Both Carla and Grisha have been confirmed dead—"

"Grisha's dead?" she cut in, her eyes widening. "Since when?!"

"Have you seen him recently?" Levi asked, and Mikasa shook her head.

"No, not since— He left for work and we never saw him again. But there was no mention, the news—"

"It wasn't announced in the news. We kept it under wraps in case it started another attack or shifted the balance of power. Carla's death couldn't be hidden, because her body was found among the casualties, though her killer is still at large."

"The military killed her. What's so suspicious about that?"

"No, she was dead long before the military reached the town. She never made it out of her house. She was executed within the first ten minutes of the attack."

"…Executed?" she asked, her voice taking on an odd tone. Her eyes finally pulled away from that odd point of space she had fixated on, meeting his intent gaze.

"One bullet to the forehead. She had been kneeling, according to the autopsy."

Mikasa closed her eyes, setting the cup down.

"I'm done," she said, her words quiet. "I don't want to talk anymore tonight. I want my brother."

Levi didn't press it. He waited until Petra came into the room - she had been observing on the other side of the mirror - and took her from the room before he let his head fall into his hands tiredly, a groan slipping from his lips.

' _The more we find out, the more questions we have,_ ' he realized, his own list having only grown longer.

What happened that night? What did those two kids refuse to talk about?

* * *

Mikasa was almost vibrating with tension by the time Eren was led to her cell. He was tightly wrapped up in his blankets, and the hollow, dead look in his eyes had her breath catching. It did nothing to stop her from flinging herself off of the bed and rushing over to wrap her arms around him and draw him close to her body.

"What happened?" she asked, and his shaky response did nothing to comfort her.

"Nothing. Just some tough questions."

"Bullshit," she hissed, glaring over his shoulder at the two officers she was becoming quite familiar with. The woman, to her credit, didn't flinch or draw back, and neither did Levi.

"Drop it, Mikasa," he snapped, and she pulled back, concerned. He normally wasn't this harsh with her, and a pang of fear and anger wormed its way into her chest. It was the reason she didn't think before she asked him what had been on her mind since her own questioning session earlier that day.

"Why didn't you tell me about Carla?"

He froze, his eyes widening and focusing more intently on her. She was sure her own anger was visible in her eyes, and she wasn't going to let him out of this. Not when her own doubts were starting to make themselves known again. "Why didn't you tell me how she died?"

"I didn't—"

"Don't try to tell me you didn't know," she hissed, taking her arms from around him and stepping back several paces. She resolutely ignored the two officers watching them, all of her attention on her little brother. "She died ten minutes after the attack.  _Before_  you came to get me. What else haven't you told me about? The phone call? Grisha? My own parents? What the hell were you doing there that night?  _What happened?!_ "

She didn't realize she was screaming, that she had been moving towards Eren again until the female officer's face filled her vision, pushing her back and away from her brother, who was being pushed back by Levi. Eren's eyes were filled with hurt, and her own stomach twisted with guilt and horror as her words sank in.

"Eren, I'm sorry, please—"

"I think," Levi said coolly, cutting her off, "that we're done for tonight."

Her body started to tremble as she watched Eren be escorted away, and when the door to her cell closed, she dropped to her knees and screamed.


	7. Catnaps

"This is getting ridiculous," Levi ranted, slamming a filing door closed in his office and yanking open another one. The large, metal container rattled, the files sliding back against the force and frustrating him even more. Hanji watched with no small amount of amusement from his desk, spinning the chair lazily in circles as he worked out his anger on the innocent office furniture.

"We've spent more time on their personal drama and codependency issues, and have barely begun to scratch the surface of what we need from them! I should have stuck with my original plan of interrogating the fuck out of their sick, little minds, and not coddling them for the truth instead," he continued, striding across the room with a few file folders in his hands. He tossed them on his desk, the files sliding across the polished wooden surface. He saw Hanji reach out and stop them from going over the edge, which would have probably pissed him off even more since the papers would have scattered on the carpet.

"It was a decision above your head, and you know that this way will get you further in the end," Hanji told him, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "Your way would have caused too many problems. We're dealing with  _kids_ , Levi; we can't just torture them and get what we want."

"Yes, we can," Levi muttered, petulant. Hanji raised an eyebrow.

"What good would that do? You have two fifteen-year-old children who lived through one of the worst attacks we've seen on American soil in the last decade. Eren, more likely than not, watched his mother be killed. Their father never came back, and we know that Grisha is deceased as well. They're alone with only each other for support and comfort, and have been that way for five years. What surprises you about their relationship? Their dependency on each other for stability and happiness? Those two… how did you put it, 'basket cases' are this country's last hope in figuring out what happened, and what will be happening."

Levi leaned against the wall, putting a hand over his eyes and rubbing at the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to relieve the headache forming. He knew Hanji was right, he  _knew_  all of this already, but it was still frustrating to have to stop in the middle of making progress to deal with one of the kids having a mental breakdown of some sort. It was annoying to have to walk on eggshells around the two, but even then the eggshells were invisible and he had no idea where to gain steady footing.

"This won't be solved in a single night, Levi," Hanji said, her voice going soft. "This is going to take time, dedication, and perseverance. It's why Lieutenant Ral was assigned to help you, to help with the fallbacks and the breakdowns and the general fuck up's that are going to happen. It's why we're doing all we can on our end so that they can help us on theirs. Now, go back to your quarters, get drunk off your ass, and get some sleep."

Levi nodded, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on him. It was a good suggestion, and that was why he valued his friendship with Hanji. Even when he was losing his mind, she would step in and slap him back to reality.

* * *

Sasha sat on the hospital bed, watching as Krista drew another vial of blood with an expert, steady hand. The other woman's blonde hair had fallen in front of her face again, blocking Sasha's view of her large, light blue eyes and cheerful face, which was what she had been focusing on just a few moments ago.

"How are you doing today?" Krista asked her, and Sasha shook her head.

"Better, I guess. I'm not… jumping as much? I… How is Connie?"

Krista shook her head, and that was all Sasha needed to know.

He was still unconscious, despite what the doctors and Eren had claimed.

"It's been over a week now," Sasha whispered. "Why isn't he waking up?"

"We're doing our best to figure that out," Krista assured, snapping the protective plastic covering over the used needle and setting it aside, pulling the rubber band off of Sasha's arm. She watched as Krista stemmed the bleeding with a cotton ball and then bandaged her arm, and didn't say anything as Krista walked out.

"I'll fix this, Connie," Sasha whispered, getting off the hospital bed. "I'll fix everything."

* * *

Eren refused to go with the guards the next morning, not wanting to deal with the inevitable questions yet. He knew Levi was going to ask about what his sister had said, had accused him of, and he wasn't ready for that. So he stayed where he was, wedged under the bed and wrapped in his blanket, content and determined to ignore the world.

So when he heard the cell door opening again he ignored it, curling up tighter and pressing his hands over his ears.

"Oi, I don't have time to deal with your bullshit today. Get out from under there."

Eren stiffened, shock flooding his mind. He hadn't expected Levi to come in person, and now Eren was even more determined to not leave the safety of underneath his bed.

"Go away," he mumbled, the words distorted by the blanket clenched between his teeth.

"Don't make me drag you out."

"I'm not moving."

"Suit yourself," he heard Levi say before a hand wrapped around his ankle, tugging him non-too-gently sideways. He scrambled to grab hold of one of the steel legs, but his arms were wrapped quite well, and the way Levi was pulling at his leg had him turning onto his stomach, trapping him as he was extracted from his safe haven.

Eren struggled to get out of the blanket, ignoring whatever it was Levi was saying at this point. His heart was pounding, fear overtaking him. As a weight settled over him, Eren's instincts kicked in, arching his back in an attempt to get rid of the person on top of him.

"Hold still you little shit!"

"Corporal, stop!"

A flash in his vision, and Eren lashed out, biting whatever dared approach. The taste of blood flooded his mouth, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck, his mouth opening to release a cry. He felt the blanket loosen enough to free his arms, and he shoved the weight off of him, his feet kicking out at Levi as they were freed as well.

The first thing Eren noticed was that the door was still open.

The second thing he noticed was that Petra was not near the door.

The third thing he noticed was that Levi was not back on his feet yet. Eren lashed out, his foot connecting with the side of Levi's head before he spun, racing for the door. A small voice in the back of his mind was screaming at him to stop, to not do this, that it would fuck everything up, but the rest of him didn't care. The rest of him was filled with panic, the need to escape and hide, to get away from people and be alone. That was the part he listened to as he raced down the hallway, ignoring the shouts and sounds of pursuit behind him.

It was instinct again that had him dropping into a crouch as a gunshot rang through the corridor, and a flash of brown had him twisting to the side, barely avoiding another shot from a soldier he wasn't expecting to see.

The woman he had taken hostage, who he had forced to lead him to his sister, was standing in the hallway wearing a set of scrubs not unlike the ones he was wearing and aiming a gun at him.

"Private Braus, stand down!" he heard Petra shout, but the woman ignored her. Eren stared at her cautiously, dropping into a loose crouch in a ready attempt to flee.

"You hurt him," she whispered. "He won't wake up. Why won't he wake up? Why did you hurt him?"

"I didn't—"

" _He_   _won_ _'t wake up!"_ she screamed, and Eren dropped flat as another bullet flew over his head. He pushed himself forward, tackling her legs and reaching out a hand to jerk the gun to the side, another bullet lodging in the wall. A flash of red hair let Eren know that Petra caught up with them, becoming another set of hands to take the gun away and keep her pinned to the ground. Eren scrambled backwards, but hands gripped him as well.

Panicked, he dropped forward, his hands catching himself from smacking the floor as he swept his legs again, feeling them connect to solidly built ones. He felt hands grab his legs, pulling him, and he flailed, trying to free himself without any success. Arms clamped over his, pinning them to his sides as he was lifted into the air.

"Let me go!" Eren screamed, squirming and trying to loosen the hold against him. But all he felt was a sharp prick in his neck before the world started to feel hazy, his muscles relaxing on their own. Dazed, he stared off to the side, seeing only a shimmering haze of colours.

"Take him back to his cell and make sure he remains there until I'm ready to deal with him."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Armin stood off to the side of the hospital room as Sasha was brought back in, Captain Zacharias cradling the sobbing woman in his arms. He laid her down on the bed, holding her there as several orderlies ran over, pulling out leather restraints and tying them onto her, keeping her from moving too far in any direction. Jean and Marco were standing beside him, watching the proceedings with a seriousness neither tended to possess around each other.

A few minutes later Levi walked in, a red-stained cloth wrapped around his hand.

"Private Sasha Braus, what the  _fuck_  did you think you were doing?" he said, his voice as cold as his words. She flinched, trying to curl up but being unable to do more than bend her knees a little.

"I was fixing it. I was fixing  _everything_."

"You fixed nothing. You  _caused_  more problems. Now we have three soldiers out of commission and a useless witness."

"He won't wake up!  _Do you understand?!_  Connie isn't waking up! That… that  _boy_  broke Connie, and I was going to fix it!"

"How would killing Eren Jaeger help Private Springer?"

"An eye for an eye, sir," she said, her voice calming down. There was a raspy, hoarse quality that gave away her previous screaming. The change in her demeanour was quite scary when Armin thought about it.

"Your actions will be discussed later after a full psych eval has been performed. Until then, you are restricted to this bed. Any actions required, including bathing and taking a shit, will be supervised. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"And as for the rest of you," Levi said, raising his voice and looking towards the soldiers lined up against the wall with Armin, "the same consequences will be applied to you if you are caught near the prisoner's cell block unaccompanied by a senior officer. There is a lot riding on the cooperation of the Jaeger children, and you will  _not_  fuck this up. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers replied in unison, saluting. Levi nodded, turning and leaving the room.

Armin let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and slumped back against the wall.

"Everything's going to hell," Jean muttered, and Armin just laughed. The bitterness was clear in his words as he corrected Jean.

"No, we were already in Hell. Now it's just starting to burn."

* * *

Eren didn't fight as they secured him to the mattress, large leather bands encircling his wrists, ankles, and waist. He didn't fight as they hooked him up to some monitors, and he didn't fight as they injected more stuff into the side of his neck. He felt nothing as he drifted there, time not mattering until the sound of a chair sliding across concrete echoed in the room and a cool hand pressed against his forehead.

"Eren? Will you talk with me?"

It was Petra, and Eren blinked, trying to focus so he could see her. She was smiling gently, smoothing a hand over his brow in calming, repetitive gestures, and he nodded slowly.

"What happened today?"

"Nn, d'nno," he said, his mouth feeling bloated and numb. "Get 'way, safe."

"You attacked the corporal, Eren. You understand you won't be able to see your sister for a while because of that?"

"Mmm," he hummed. "She don' wan'ta see me an'more."

"I don't think that's true. She loves you very much," Petra assured him, but Eren shook his head.

"She hates me now."

His lips weren't feeling as numb, the words forming easier as his thoughts began to clear.

"She hates me."

"No, she doesn't, Eren," Petra said calmly. "She's upset, yes, but she still loves you."

"She's mad at me; she hates me."

"Love and anger aren't related, Eren," Petra insisted. "She can be angry with you and still love you. When you're upset with Mikasa, do you hate her?"

"No! I… I don't…"

"I'm sure you get upset with her sometimes. Do you get upset when she doesn't eat? When she does something that makes you feel unhappy?"

Eren closed his eyes, biting his lower lip.

"She… she doesn't hate me?"

"No, she loves you so much. She's just upset right now, and people say things they don't mean when they're mad. It doesn't mean she doesn't love you anymore."

"She's all I have left," Eren whispered, his voice cracking. "I can't… I can't lose her too."

"I know, but for a few days you won't be allowed to see her. You attacked the corporal, so that's the consequence. I will be visiting with you until you're feeling better, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Eren let his eyes unfocus, retreating back into the safety of his mind as Petra left the cell. He felt lighter inside, even hopeful, with the thought that Mikasa didn't hate him.

"Did you love me too, Mom?" Eren asked aloud, a tear sliding from the corner of his eye. "Did you have room to love me, too?"


	8. Catnaps

"He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Hanji asked, an antiseptic wipe cleaning the bite marks the boy had left after his freak-out on Levi. Aside from the obvious one on his hand - which Hanji had confirmed broke two of the bones - he had several claw marks running down his neck and back, along with another bite mark on his back right below his left shoulder, that he was given right before the fucking shit was sedated.

"No shit," Levi grumbled, his breath catching as Hanji chose that moment to press the alcohol pad deeper into the cut. When he glared at her, she just gave him an innocently sweet smile.

"Don't want to get an infection, after all. Who knows when the last time that Eren had a chance to brush his teeth?"

The thought had Levi's face turning green, his tongue sweeping across his own (perfectly cleaned and maintained) teeth. Did the kid have a toothbrush in his cell? When  _was_ the last time the brat had a chance to clean off the germs and plaque building up?

"Oh, wow, it was a joke, Levi. You look like you're about to be sick."

"It's not a fucking joke," Levi snarled, ignoring as the wipe was pushed further into the wound. "That is disgusting. Who was put in charge of making sure their hygiene was maintained?"

"You were."

Levi balked.

"Have they even been allowed to shower?!"

"Nope! The most I think they could have done was a tap-water bath with hand-soap!" Hanji said, the cheerfulness in her voice not matching the words coming from them. Levi felt dizzy, the thought of how much  _filth was on their bodies—_

"Hey, don't pass out on me or I'm taking you back to the infirmary!"

"Just finish up already so I can go fix this," Levi snarled, and Hanji chuckled.

As soon as the last bandage secured, Levi pulled his shirt back on and fastened his vest back into place before striding down towards the prisoner cells. It had been at least four hours since the incident, and right now Levi had more pressing matters on his mind than isolating the little shits.

He found Petra first, sitting in his office looking over the kids' files. She looked up at his entrance, calmly closing Eren's folder and rising to her feet.

"What is the boy's condition?" Levi demanded, and Petra gave a light smile.

"Lucid, emotional, but not in any danger."

"Good. Go find a change of clothes in his size and some bathing supplies. Get some ready for the girl, too. Leave them in my own quarters, I'll be taking care of Eren first, then you will help with the girl."

To her benefit, Petra did not question his orders, but merely saluted and left to go do what he had requested. He pulled out a set of plastic coveralls, sliding them on and securing them before pulling on a pair of latex gloves, snapping them into place and then positioning a mask over his nose and mouth. Once he felt sure that he was adequately protected, he made his way to the boy's cell. The guards took one look at him before dismissing themselves, which saved him the need to do so. Pulling open the door to Eren's cell, he stepped in and didn't bother to close it behind him.

The boy was still restrained, the IV in his arm keeping a steady flow of nutrients and mild sedatives in the teen's body. Levi unhooks him, releasing the straps and hauling the half-dazed boy to his feet.

"Don't fucking try anything or I'll do this unconscious, understand?" Levi snarled, and the boy blinked slowly, nodding in confusion.

"Where…?"

"Don't ask questions."

Eren nodded again, rubbing one of his (dirty, filthy,  _grimy_ ) hands against his ( _equally_  grimy, filthy, foul!) eyes as Levi forcibly dragged him along down the hallway and back towards his own personal quarters. It was one of the first things he had demanded upon promotion, and Erwin hadn't argued at the order for his own private bathing area. Which was rather convenient now, as he didn't have the time or patience to secure the public baths for the boy's use.

Levi shoved the boy in first, before following and closing the door behind him, locking it and sliding his shoes off.

"Strip."

He could see the boy's body stiffen in shock, his face turning a god-awful shade of red as the words slowly penetrated the filthy brain behind the filthy face. He squawked something that Levi couldn't understand before wrapping his arms around himself protectively, as if the gesture could stop Levi from getting the grime off of his body.

" _Now_." The boy didn't move, and it took Levi stepping towards him to get another reaction from Eren.

"What the hell—?"

"You either remove those disgusting rags or I will."

Eren started pulling them off hastily, and Levi grimaced as the boy carelessly let the germ-infested material drop onto his floor. He didn't waste a moment before pushing the bare boy into the bathroom, turning the faucet on and turning it to the shower setting. Eren, finally understanding what was going on - seriously, what was wrong with kids these days? - stepped under the spray without needing Levi to prompt him.

"I'm hoping you're capable of doing this yourself, because I won't fucking hesitate to assist," Levi snapped, and Eren flushed harder, turning his body away from Levi and picking up the soap bottle resting along the shelf inside the shower. Levi leaned against the doorframe, eyeing the boy speculatively.

The form was scrawnier than he had thought under the too-large clothes, bruising and scars littering the (hopefully natural, or else Levi was going to be sick) darker skin.

Having studied the Jaeger adults for years, it wasn't hard for Levi to see that their son took mostly after the mother. His colouring, height, and frame resembled the photos of Carla, though it was impossible to determine if his stubborn and annoying personality came from her as well. He could hardly see any of the father in the boy, though if he squinted he could make out the stoic, German man in his son. It lightened his skin several shades, diluting the Turkish genetics, as well as giving a harder edge to the boy, unlike his gentle-appearing mother (though the softness that Eren had could have still been the youth he retained).

"Use more soap," Levi demanded, making the boy jump and slip a little. He caught himself on the wall, stopping him from falling flat on his ass, which Levi would have had no pity or remorse for. "God knows what diseases are growing on your skin."

"I've been washing regularly," Eren said petulantly, but obediently poured more soap onto the sponge and scrubbed at his skin again.

"Tap water and hand soap doesn't count as washing," Levi said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "That doesn't even come close."

"Well, I fucking worked with what I had!" the boy snapped, throwing the sponge down and spinning around. "If you're going to bitch about me doing my fucking best with what  _you_  provided me, then at least bitch at the right fucking person!"

"And who would that be?" Levi asked, his words holding a dangerous edge that threatened to turn lethal. Eren seemed to ignore the warning tone, and pushed on regardless.

"Go take a look in the fucking mirror, you piece of shit."

Levi took a sharp breath, stepping forward without thinking. Eren didn't waver, his hands clenched tightly at his sides and trying to look as threatening as he could. Levi had to hand it to the kid; even standing naked under a spray of water and surrounded by steam, the boy managed to not look too pathetic. More like a drenched lion and less like a drowned kitten.

"I'd watch your fucking tongue,  _brat_."

"I will if you will," Eren snapped. "I'm not going to let you treat me like dirt because you're having a pissy fit because of something  _you_  caused."

Levi snarled quietly, yanking the boy down to eye level by his hair. Glaring at him harshly, Levi hissed, "You're lucky I'm still on orders to not treat you like the criminal you are."

"I don't give a shit how you treat me," Eren replied just as quietly, his voice flattening out and losing the anger it held. Now, he just sounded tired,  _defeated_  even. "Just be consistent with it. I'm tired of you fucking around with my head."

Levi let go, backing up several steps before resuming his place back at the door, leaning once more against the wall.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day."

"Yes, sir," the boy replied, and Levi pushed aside the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he had done something wrong.

He wasn't in the wrong here. He  _wasn_ _'t._

* * *

Mikasa washed herself silently in the shower, glad that Petra had been kind enough to turn away and offer her a semblance of privacy. It felt nice to be under the hot spray of water, to rid herself of the dirt and grime that her sponge baths hadn't done much to remove, but it was hard to feel grateful for the opportunity to wash when she still felt the churning guilt and shame for her actions towards Eren.

How could she have said that to him? Eren was all she had left, and she had gone and hurt him in the worst way. She  _knew_  he had nothing to do with what happened that day, that he wasn't like Carla and Grisha, that he had saved her life on several occasions. He had helped her live, and she had mocked him for it. She felt her eyes burning once again with tears, and closed them tightly, tilting her head back to stop them from forming.

She waited until she had control of herself again before turning the water off, stepping onto the slightly damp mat and grabbing the towel that Petra had brought with her. She quickly dried herself off, wrapping the towel around her head to absorb more water as she pulled her clothes on. She wished she could wear a bra, but that wasn't included in the standard hospital garb that Petra had given her. Her chest wasn't overly large, but it was still uncomfortable to walk around other people without some type of support. She crossed her arms over her chest, clearing her throat to get Petra's attention.

"All done?" Petra asked, her words light and friendly, and Mikasa nodded silently.

"Okay! We just need to make a stop by the infirmary to get your vitals and then we can go back to your room."

"Can… can you pass a message on for me?" Mikasa asked softly as they walked down the hallway. Her feet were bare, the socks that Petra had grabbed were too small for her feet and thus left on the counter in the bathroom, and the concrete floors were cold against her skin. It was easy to focus on that sensation, pushing aside the pain in her chest from thoughts of her own actions.

"It depends, Mikasa," Petra responded. "If you tell me, I can let you know."

"Will you tell Eren that… Tell Eren that I'm sorry. I didn't mean it… I wasn't trying to say that I blame him."

Petra stopped walking, turning to look at Mikasa curiously. There was a look in her eyes that Mikasa couldn't place, but it wasn't long before Petra turned back around and continued walking on towards the infirmary.

"I'll let him know, Mikasa."

Nothing else was said for the rest of the journey, the only noise coming from the sound of their feet against concrete, the guards saluting and saying, "Lieutenant" respectfully, and the hum of life on the outskirts of Mikasa's vision. Laughter came from one room, and it made her feel a little disoriented.

When was the last time she'd heard laughter? When was the last time she had laughed?

The sound cut off as they turned a corner and approached the hospital doors. Petra pushed them open, holding one open for Mikasa to step through. The ward was quiet, the only sound a steady beeping at the nurse's station and a muted conversation from a room off to the side, the door barely propped open. Petra lead her past the desk to one of the rooms she had quickly grown familiar with during her first stay, motioning for her to sit on the bed as she closed the door and pressed a button to the side of it. A red light turned on above the button, and Petra leaned against the wall, crossing her ankles idly as she shifted a little.

The small, blonde nurse from her first visit came into the room not even a minute later, a cheerful smile painting her face awash with a brightness that was hard to look at.

"Oh, hello again! Time for a check-up?" she asked, glancing for confirmation at Petra. A subtle nod was all that was given back, and she turned towards Mikasa with a smile.

"Okay, are you in pain anywhere?"

_My heart_ , she thought, but knew that was not what the nurse meant. So she shook her head, silently holding her arm out for the pressure cuff to be attached. The nurse, "Call me Krista!," worked quickly and efficiently, taking her pulse, blood pressure, temperature, blood sugars, and drawing her blood work without a pause or misstep. It was barely five minutes later that she was pulling her gloves off, disposing of the needle in the container against the wall and offering a kind parting.

"I hope you'll recover fully, Mikasa!"

On their journey back, Mikasa remained quiet, watching her feet take one step after another, the heels of Petra's shoes in her peripheral vision giving her a path to follow without looking up. It was as they reached her cell that Mikasa finally spoke again.

"She's too nice."

"Oh, Krista's always been like that," Petra responded, following Mikasa's train of thought. "She doesn't have a mean bone in her body."

_Unlike me,_ she couldn't help but think. Petra kept talking, ignorant of Mikasa's internal correction.

"Her girlfriend makes up for that completely though!"

Mikasa blinked, looking up into Petra's amused face.

"It's one reason no one has tried to break her of the habit. Besides, this is a messy business, and we need something to keep us going. Krista becomes that for most of us."

As Mikasa entered her cell, Petra offered a word of parting, a smile playing at the edges of her lips.

"Make sure to finish your dinner. I'd hate to have to tell Krista you're neglecting yourself again. She hates to see people suffer."

_You manipulative bitch_ , Mikasa thought bitterly, but found herself unable to resist picking up the tray and taking it over to the bed, sitting down and balancing the tray on her knees. She couldn't put Krista's kind smile out of her mind as she lifted her fork to her mouth.

Mikasa hated it when people were nice to her.


	9. Catnaps

Eren had to say it was good to be clean again. He hadn't had the chance to wash properly since the day Mikasa had called the house phone to warn him. But he couldn't deny the pain that had blossomed in his chest at Levi's words.

" _You're lucky I'm still on orders to not treat you like the criminal you are."_

The words had hurt, though he refused to let that… that  _bastard_  know that. Instead, Eren had decided to be the bigger man and not give in to the taunt, not give the man the reaction he had been digging for. So he had dropped it, finishing his shower (because god knew when he'd get another one) and dressing. It had been humiliating enough to be forced to strip and scrub in front of the older man. It had been too close to one of the dreams he'd had of the older man at night, though  _that_  had ended a lot differently than yesterday's debacle.

"Fucking dick," Eren muttered aloud, rolling onto his side and staring at the wall. They weren't tying him down anymore, and the IV was gone as well, and it was nice to be able to hold onto a thought for longer than three seconds. He  _hated_  drugs. He hated needles, he hated injections, he hated not being in control.

When breakfast came, he ate it without saying a word to the guard. Normally, he would tell them thank you, sometimes even asking what the weather was like outside, but today he ignored them. Eld, the guard who normally brought his food, seemed to hesitate before walking back out, his partner glancing between Eld and Eren. Eren was left to eat his breakfast in silence, the door not opening again until Petra came to retrieve him for his meeting with Levi.

Which he wasn't looking forward to in the slightest. But he took a deep breath, getting himself under control and making sure that his temper wouldn't boil over when he finally stepped into the room and had to see that bastard again. He couldn't stop the flare of anger at the sight of the short corporal, but didn't let it show on his face as he took a seat across from the bastard.

"There will be a few changes to our routine. The first being that every night you will be escorted to my quarters, where you will shower and receive new clothes. This will happen after dinner. Until further notice, you will not be permitted any contact with your sister. You will be brought clean sheets once a week, and you will change them and leave the old sheets with your meal tray to be removed. You will be provided basic toiletries, including a hair brush, which I expect you to use to keep yourself groomed and clean. Do you have any questions?"

"None, sir," Eren responded, keeping his voice pleasant. Levi gave him a long look, as if trying to see if Eren was being genuine, before opening the folder.

"Then let's get down to business."

* * *

Armin placed the folders on the edge of Hanji's desk, a post-it note with today's date left on top of the pile, along with a rubber band securing them together. This was the safest way to make sure that nothing was lost in the chaos that was Hanji's desk, as other piles of folders, books, papers, and junk had overtaken the surface. Once a week she would comb through the clutter, getting things put away and filed as needed and cleaning her desk off so it looked workable, but then not even a day later it would be back to normal. Armin suspected the only reason Hanji got away with that was because Levi refused to go down to her office anymore, and no one else had the balls to order Hanji around.

He couldn't help himself from letting his eyes wander over the other files, his natural curiousity driving him to look at dates and names that meant little to him. It was easy to forget that the Jaegers were not the only problem in the country; as head of Research and Intelligence, Hanji had many projects and lines of information to keep on top of, and the fact that they had the last two Jaegers in custody meant very little in the grand scheme of things.

"Overwhelming, isn't it?" a voice said from behind him, and Armin turned around quickly, letting a guilty, sheepish look take over his features as he laced his fingers together.

"Oh, don't worry. These are all just bits and pieces, nothing too compromising," she assured, walking around him and picking up a few pieces of paper. "Like these are some observation pieces from the Columbia agents," she said, turning a photo towards him, "and a person we believe to be involved in The Outfit," and then held up a folder, "and interrogation notes from the Buscelli and Merell case. They'll get placed where they belong, but you knowing just a few pieces of information isn't enough to be worried about."

Armin nodded, though he couldn't help but wonder why Hanji would show him this information so freely. A lot of these were confidential, on a need-to-know basis, but she seemed to not care as she set down the files and papers in her hands. She sat in her chair, gesturing to another one across from her, before lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on them.

"I know it's not really a secret that I've been considering taking you under my wing once Erwin approves it," Hanji started, and Armin gave a nod. It was why he had to come down so often, though now either Mike or Moblit had to escort him through the prisoner cell block. Hanji nodded as well, continuing to speak.

"But it's more than that. I'm not going to be here forever, and I need someone who will be able to take my place and keep things running as they should be. This isn't an easy position. It's downright exhausting, overwhelming, and frankly boring on some days. Having to sort through hundreds of active cases, and even more  _in_ active ones that might be related, and then the cold cases where information has dried up, and then you need to check and see if anything you've received might be able to shed light on those. It takes a lot of effort, and even more brainpower to know what you need to be doing."

"Are you saying you want me to… to…" Armin stuttered, his mind going blank as the concept slowly sank in.

"I want you to take over as head of the R&I when my time comes to an end. I don't plan on that being for several years, so there will be plenty of time to show you the ins and outs, don't worry! Erwin also knows this, so he understands my intentions and motivations and is willing to work with us on getting this going. But you still have to go through the motions, receive the proper promotions and ranks before anything can happen, and I can't show too much favouritism or else it'll cause problems down the road."

"I… I understand…"

"Oh dear, I think I broke you. Well, better scuttle off to lunch! We'll talk about this later in a more official setting."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, run along."

Armin wandered from R&I in a daze, Moblit shooting him worried glances as they made their way through the building.

"Good luck," Moblit said as he turned to head back down to the basement, and Armin gave an absent nod, entering the mess hall in a fog.

Head of R&I.  _Hanji Zoe_  wanted  _him_  to take over for her. He couldn't stop the smile from breaking out across his face.

* * *

Jean wondered when things became so complicated. It used to be very straight-forward; his job, his expectations, who were the good guys, and who were the bad ones. Now, it wasn't that simple.

Sasha was being restrained in one of the holding cells awaiting a psychological evaluation, Connie was still in a coma, Armin was… doing something, he didn't get to see much of the other blond, and he swore the Jaeger brats got more privileges than they did.

He also felt Marco pulling away from him, though that might be in his own head. They usually spent a lot of their free time together, watching movies or hanging out, but recently Marco had been putting in extra hours, volunteering for more duties, and Jean didn't know why.

Well, he did, but he didn't want to think about  _that_  mistake. He should have known better than to try and kiss his best friend.

He wanted to blame the alcohol. They had gotten shit-faced while watching crappy horror movies two weeks ago, and Jean had been stupid enough to try and show Marco what Jean felt for him. It hadn't ended well, and ever since then Marco had been doing everything to avoid being around him.

Shaking his head, Jean forced the memories from his mind as he raised his rifle again. Most of his free time was now spent at the range. His last evaluation had been lackluster, and Jean knew that if he wanted to stay on the fast track to a rank promotion, he needed to bring it up. He aimed down the scope, aligning the marks to the center of the 'head,' and pulled the trigger.

He swore as it pierced too far to the left, punching a hole through the thick black outline. That would have taken off an ear, but wouldn't stop a terrorist. Wouldn't stop another incident where Eren had them at his mercy. Wouldn't stop him from having more Connie's or Sasha's because he failed to protect them again.

He lifted his gun once more, reloading the chamber and aiming. He refused to give up, to fail, to be at the mercy of the enemy.

* * *

Eren picked at his dinner, not feeling hungry but knowing that he should eat it anyway. He had not said thank you to Eld or Gunther again, ignoring them as they came in and placed his food down. He knew that after he finished eating, Levi would be coming back to take him to shower again. As the man had said, there was a kit waiting on his bed when he had arrived, and a pile of sheets had been on the table instead of lunch. Those had been taken when his lunch was brought, when he had also ignored Eld and Gunther's presence.

He wasn't going to treat them like friends, not when he knew what they  _really_  thought of him. He had thought, for a brief time, that they didn't see him as a copy of his parents, as a criminal, and had been warming up to the thought of being free again. Of not being scared to walk down the street, of not having to hide his face because it looked like  _hers_. But Levi had set him straight, and these assholes didn't deserve the time of day. He was going to do his time, do his duty to his country, but that was it. He wasn't going to be nice about it, he wasn't going to harbour any illusions of freedom. He doubted he'd come out of this alive, that they'd ever let him go. He was going to be the scapegoat they needed because the real ones were dead.

Mikasa was angry at him, he had no friends here, he was the bad guy that they wanted. No, he was the one they  _needed_. There was a difference, and Eren felt it clear as day. Even if their end goal was the same, he knew his role for them, and he was going to play it the way they wanted him to. So Eren felt his stomach twist as he tried to force the food down, wondering absently if Mikasa was eating her own meal. He hoped she was; she needed all the nutrients she could get.

He gave up on his meal after he choked on his own vomit, barely stopping himself from throwing up all over his tray. He lay down on his side, inhaling the scent of laundry soap on the pillowcase. He mused at how long it would take to stop breathing if he held it over his face. At least eight minutes, twelve at the most. His body would start trying to subconsciously save himself though, so a pillow wouldn't do it. He'd have to get it stuck, to where he couldn't use his hands to pull it away, or have enough room to jerk free and gasp for air.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened, the sound of boots on concrete echoing in his cell. Levi's deep voice followed shortly after, Eren sighing as the expected orders were issued.

"Get up and bring your kit."

Eren pushed himself upright, giving one last lingering look at his pillow before he reached over and grabbed the plastic-wrapped bathroom supplies he had placed on the small, stainless steel sink. He hadn't bothered to open it yet. He figured he'd wait until he was taken to a real bathroom.

He followed Levi in silence, one of the guards following along behind them. Eren didn't bother to look to see which one. At this point they were all the same to him. A small voice in the back of his head did remind him that Eld and Gunther would have been relieved of guard duty by now, but he shoved that aside. It didn't matter anymore when they were on shift. Nothing mattered anymore.

He moved towards the bathroom before Levi could even say anything, taking his clothes off and leaving them outside the door before turning the water on. He tore open his kit, taking out the soaps and leaving the brush, toothbrush, deodorant, and toothpaste on the counter. There wasn't a shaving razor in the kit, probably so that he couldn't be given a 'dangerous weapon' or some bullshit like that, and as Eren washed up he could feel the stubble that had slowly been growing along his jaw scratch against his skin. He normally didn't need to shave more than once a week, but it had been several by this point, and he finally had the beginnings of a beard. It disgusted him, seeing the hair on his face that grew in the same manner as  _his_.

His face might look like  _hers_ , but it was  _his_  beard that grew in.

Levi didn't try to talk to him, just leaned against the door frame and made sure Eren didn't do… whatever the fuck he could do in a shower that didn't involve showering. It was annoying and embarrassing, but if he was able to use hot water he wasn't going to bitch about it. He knew when to cut his losses, and this was one of those times.

_Will I ever have privacy again? Will I ever shower without having someone staring at me the entire time?_

Those weren't thoughts worth dwelling on, so Eren finished up and turned the water off, stepping out of the tub and drying himself off, dressing in the clean clothes provided, and tearing the plastic wrap off of the toothbrush. He scrubbed at his mouth, getting rid of the gritty yet slimy feeling that he had grown accustomed to. He ran a brush through his hair a few times, though he knew it wouldn't matter once his hair dried. At this length, it was only going to look like a mess, whether he tried to tame it or not. He really needed a haircut.

"Ready?" Levi asked, and Eren gave a single nod, picking up his showering gear and tucking it in the crook of his arm. Levi led him back, another guard trailing behind them at a distance. He could hear their footsteps, a slight step off from both Eren's and Levi's stride, and he focused on that instead of the bastard in front of him.

He put his supplies back in the basin on the sink once he was in his room, noting that his dinner was gone. He heard the door shut, locking him away from the real world once again. He felt the absence of his sister with a sharp pain in his chest, the need to have her by his side hitting him hard. He tried to push it aside as he laid back down on the bed, pulling the pillow to his chest and burying his face in it.

Twelve minutes. It would take twelve minutes to fix everything.


	10. Stress Dreams

It was the only way Eren got through the day anymore. Whenever he would get annoyed with Levi's attitude, miss his sister, or want to argue back, he would count out seven-hundred and twenty seconds.

That's how long it would take. And that thought calmed him down. He knew that it wasn't a healthy thought to entertain, that the more he thought about it, the more it would become appealing, would become more desirable, but that was the only thing he had control over anymore.

Twelve minutes. He could control those twelve minutes.

Questioning with Levi became monotonous. He answered everything bluntly, only elaborating when Levi asked for it, and then would spend the rest of the day in his cell until Levi came to take him to the shower. Those were getting easier to handle, too. He ignored Levi's watching eye and washed quickly, counting out twelve minutes each day. Two months passed like this before he could see Mikasa again, and it was with a mixture of anticipation and dread he followed Levi and Petra down the hall to her cell. The only sounds were the echoes of their footsteps and the hum of the overhead lights as they led him onwards. It took only a hundred and eighteen seconds to get from his door to hers, and he reached a hundred and twenty-two before being engulfed by a hug.

The familiar weight and scent of his sister had him relaxing, his arms reaching up without thought to grasp her, and his head burying into the crook of her shoulder as he pulled her closer. His eyes burned. This was the longest he had ever been away from her since they met, and again he felt an anger burn in his chest, hot enough to evaporate the tears that had been threatening to spill just moments ago. He pulled back, letting him take in her appearance.

Her hair was longer, past her shoulders now and hiding part of her face. She had put on a little more weight, he could feel it, and it made him happy. She had been underweight for years now, and he hoped that with the guards breathing down her neck she was getting all her meals every day.

"You okay?" he asked, and she nodded silently. He frowned, lifting his hand and pressing it against her cheek. It was warm, warmer than it should be, and he dragged his hand up to her forehead.

"You're sick," he noted, and she frowned a little.

"It's just a cold," she mumbled, pulling away. He reached out, snatching her hand and lacing their fingers together. He could feel the light trembling, and he moved into the room more, leading her to the bed to sit down. She had a small table in her cell now, along with a chair and a pile of books. There was also a pile of papers and a pencil, and he wondered why he hadn't been offered the same privilege.

Was it because she wasn't really a Jaeger? That she was only his sister in claim, not blood or name? He didn't know, but he felt like it had more to do with Levi than it did with Eren at all. It wasn't a good time to think about that though, as he took Mikasa's wrist into his hand, feeling her pulse.

"I thought you were taking your medications now," Eren said quietly, and Mikasa looked down, her hair moving to hide her face from him. He barely caught her words, and he felt the anger building up again.

"I'm only taking the insulin. They don't know."

"Fuck, Mikasa," Eren snapped, his voice echoing in the room. Petra straightened up, her eyes watching them carefully. Levi's eyes had never left them, though they seemed to be oddly focused and intent. "Do you want to die? You know what a simple cold will do to you!"

"I'm tired, Eren!" she hissed, yanking her arm away. "I'm tired of being treated like a doll about to break. I'm  _okay_ , do you understand? I don't need—"

"You do! Just because you're doing well right  _now_  doesn't mean you'll keep doing well if you don't take your pills! It's not fucking going to go away on its own! You know this!"

"I'm not a child!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

They glared at each other, hands clenched into balls. After counting to ten, Eren let out a breath, relaxing his hands and reaching out for Mikasa's, who willingly offered her own. He pulled her closer, scooting back on the bed and giving her room to lie down. Wrapping his arms around her he fell sideways, hugging her close.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

They lie like that for the rest of their visit, Eren just enjoying being able to hold her close again. He knew he would have to leave her, have to go back to his own cell, and it only made him tighten his grip on her.

"I'll be good," he whispered to her. "I won't let them take you away from me again."

* * *

The first thing he noticed was that it was bright. His eyes flinched closed again, his head turning slightly to get away from the harsh light. The second was that he  _hurt_. Everywhere along his body there was an ache, and he was having a hard time moving. The third was that he was thirsty.

"Private Springer? Can you hear me?"

Connie nodded, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

"Doctor! He's awake! Someone go get Dr. Zoe!"

The noises were overwhelming, but he couldn't find the strength to lift his hands to cover his ears. The sound dimmed, along with the redness behind his eyes, and he tentatively cracked one open to see that the lights were no longer on. To the side, he could see a woman standing in white, her golden hair shimmering around her glowing, happy face.

"Are you an angel?" he asked, his voice rough and scratchy from disuse. She laughed.

"No, I'm not. But I'm glad to see you're awake."

"What happened?"

"It's best to let Dr. Zoe explain. Can I get you anything?"

"Water," he pleaded, and she grabbed a cup from behind her, a straw already sticking out. She pushed a button on the side of the bed, elevating his head and chest so that he was upright. Holding the cup, she pressed the straw against his lips, and he sucked it down greedily. It was hard at first, the effort straining on his lungs and mouth, but after a few tries he got enough water into him to help.

"Connie, how are you feeling?" a deeper voice asked, and he looked up to see a woman closing the door again, a white robe hurriedly thrown over a black shirt and boxer shorts. Her hair was a mess, barely tied up, with glasses shoved up past her bangs and almost entirely hidden by her fringe. He shrugged, wincing at the burn in his muscles as he did so.

"What happened?"

"How much do you remember?"

He paused, thinking about it. How did he get hurt? He remembered going to Sasha's house after class to help her with her science homework, but after that was fuzzy.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary for the Department of Homeland Security. It's October third, 2045. You've been in a coma for almost three months now."

"What— Why— How—"

"What's the last thing you remember?" the woman asked, and Connie stared at her in confusion.

"I was going to Sasha's house. We were supposed to study. Two-thousand-forty- _five_?!"

* * *

"There's no explanation. The scans all came back normal, but Private Springer thinks he's fifteen years old again. He's having a hard time adjusting to the fact he's ten years older than he thought he was. He also seems to have problems with his short-term memory. He will repeat his questions after ten minutes," Hanji said, rubbing her forehead wearily. It was almost three in the morning, and Levi had not been pleased to be dragged out of bed for an emergency meeting. Mike looked half-asleep in his chair, and the only person who seemed to be awake was Erwin.

"And there's nothing to explain the coma or the memory loss?"

"No! Eren admitted to having intentionally knocked Connie out by applying pressure to the base of his neck, but there's no sign of trauma or damage that would explain this result. He meant for it to be a temporary paralysis, where the target would awaken on his own within ten to thirty minutes. Either Eren messed up his technique, or there's another underlying problem that Eren triggered when he executed the assault."

"And you're requesting that he remain on base?" Erwin asked, and Hanji nodded enthusiastically. "This is invaluable research! Not to mention we don't know what will trigger a return of memory, or when that might happen. He's a trained soldier, and if he suddenly thinks he's back in a combat situation—"

"There are programs and institutes to keep him in for that," Levi said, but Hanji burst into excited babble he didn't try following. After letting her ramble on, Levi spoke up again.

"I won't even bother pretending I know what you just said. But what is the danger of letting Private Springer remain on base versus leaving for a specialized facility? We could send the Braus girl with him. Two birds with one stone."

"They're a part of this investigation, Levi! Sasha and Connie are both direct victims of Eren Jaeger's attack on this base, and hold valuable knowledge within them of what training Eren might have received from his parents. Like, where did he learn how to paralyze someone like that? What kind of mental training would he have had for him to behave as he did with Sasha? These actions are all we have left of Carla and Grisha Jaeger, and sending away the only two examples would be a  _crime_!"

Levi scoffed, leaning back in his chair and finishing the tea in his cup. "So you want to compromise their recovery to experiment. That's what you're saying? They're injured people, not your test subjects."

"Oh, Levi. Everyone's a test subject."

Levi looked up sharply, but Hanji was facing the display board again. He caught Erwin's eye, and the commander gave a light shrug.

"As long as you're working on handling their recovery, you may document any findings. All tests must be approved before you perform them. Is that understood, doctor?"

"Yes, sir!"

Erwin dismissed them, Mike getting up and silently leaving the room without a word. Hanji was cleaning up her case notes, and Levi pushed his mug to the side as he stood. Erwin clapped him on the shoulder, but offered no words as he passed Levi to leave the room. When the door closed behind him, Levi spoke.

"What the fuck are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of getting any possible information I can, while I have the opportunity."

"You act as if you're on a time-frame."

"We all are, Levi. I could die tonight in my sleep. You could get shot or killed on the job. The sleeper cell could reemerge at any moment. I  _have_  to work as fast as I can with what I have. I don't have the luxury of patience or ethics."

"These are  _people_ , damn it! Not experiments!"

"They're all I have, Levi!" she spun around, her face flushed. "They're all I fucking have, so back the  _fuck_  down!"

Her words echoed in the silence that followed before she drew a long breath, pushing her bangs back with her hands angrily.

"From what I hear, you're not one to talk. Seriously, you'll drive Eren to the brink at this rate. He hardly talks anymore, he's losing weight, and he does nothing except sleep, eat, shower, and get interrogated by you. And the guards are worried because they hear him crying for his mother almost every night. You sit here, telling me I need to treat Connie and Sasha like people, but you can't even do that for Eren. So who the fuck do you think you are to tell me how to behave?"

Hanji scooped up her files, shoving past Levi roughly on her way to the door.

"Clean up your act, Levi, before you  _have_  to."

* * *

Her body felt like it was burning. Curling up tighter on the bed, she pulled the blanket completely over her to block out the harsh overhead light. Her breakfast remained untouched on the tray, the little cup of pills beside her juice still showing the two pills she needed to take while eating. It hurt to move, though, and the thought of  _eating_  made her empty stomach twist up, bile rising in her throat. She barely had time to get her head out and over the side of the bed before vomiting up stomach acid, the sound of her hacking filling the small space. The smell followed after, and Mikasa groaned as she fell back onto the bed, too drained to properly lie down.

When she opened her eyes again, there was something cold pressing against her face, pushing against her and making her roll onto her back. Her body felt limp and heavy, and she felt icicles prying her lids open, blinding her. Her vision was fuzzy, only a blotch of reddish-brown being visible.

"Mikasa, can you hear me?"

She groaned, trying to turn away from the sound, from the light, from  _everything_. Her body was melting; why weren't they helping her?

"She's conscious, but not responding—"

"—fluids—"

"—had only mild cold symptoms last night—"

"—vomiting, high fever—"

The room shifted, and she couldn't stop herself from vomiting again, unable to turn her head enough to not get it on her cheeks, in her hair. At this she cried, the miserable feeling of being sick and being covered in puke too much for her to handle.

"It's okay, we'll get you cleaned up. We're taking you to the infirmary. You'll feel better soon."

"I want my brother," she sobbed, "I want Eren."

"I'll see what I can do, dear, okay? Just rest, we'll take care of you now."

"Eren!" she screamed, thrashing. Frigid manacles clamped down around her arms and feet, holding her still as she cried out for her brother. " _Eren!_ "

* * *

Armin heard her long before he saw her. He stepped to the side as the gurney rushed by him, taking up step beside Petra as she maneuvered it towards the elevators.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the thrashing girl on the bed.

"She's ill. She had a minor cold last night, and this morning it seems to have grown exponentially worse. We're taking her in for treatment."

Armin felt something itching in his mind, a memory locked away in  _Things From That Time_ , and he let himself close his eyes to remember it. He hated thinking back on  _That Time_ , as he labeled it, but if it could be of use he would bear it for a short time.

"She's been like this before…" Armin said quietly, hesitantly. Petra glanced at him and he took a deep breath. "I remember hearing something about how it was the reason she lived with the Jaegers, since he's been her doctor since birth. I don't remember much, but she was sick a lot when she was younger."

"So Eren would know something then."

"Yeah. He was always protective of her. Nagging, making sure she always ate and took her pills."

When they got to the infirmary, there were nurses already waiting to help move Mikasa onto one of the clean beds, an IV being placed into her arm and restraints pulling her limbs secure and out of harm's way. Her cries had grown no softer, her pleas for Eren's presence more insistent. They drew blood work, and it was as a nurse took down her vitals that Hanji burst into the ward, her hair not even tied up and only wearing the white doctor's coat.

"What happened? I got a call about an emergency?"

"Something's wrong with her," Petra spoke up, and Armin listened with half an ear as he watched the nurses work on the girl. He had a while to think about the Jaeger kids, about his own history with them and about his opinion on them, and while he wouldn't be able to ever forgive the parents, he would withhold his judgment on the children until he learned more of the truth.

"You mentioned she might have lived with the Jaegers because of her illness?" Hanji asked him, drawing him back to the conversation. He nodded, rubbing a hand against his forehead.

"She was sick a lot when we were younger, even before she lived with them. I don't know why, I didn't  _care_  then, but Eren was highly protective of her because of it."

"And you can't remember anything or any reason?"

"I was only a child. I wasn't even fourteen when…" Armin trailed off, looking down at the ground and swallowing. "When it all happened."

_When Hell broke loose._

"Okay, Moblit!" Hanji called out, and a head poked out from around a corner. "Run some blood tests. And will someone give the fucking girl a sedative before she hurts herself?!"


	11. Stress Dreams

Levi looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep last night. Eren sat across from him, picking at his breakfast nervously as he watched Levi flicking through folders, his brow furrowed as he scanned the contents. Eren didn't want to break the silence, didn't want to start the inevitable interrogation any sooner than he needed to. So instead, he ate as slowly as he could, moving the food around his plate rather than eating it.

"Tell me about your sister's medical condition," Levi demanded, his voice loud and echoing in the room. Eren jumped, his knee bumping the table. He reacted quickly, his hand darting out fast and righting the cup before it could spill over the table, but the fork clattered to the ground and the plate was now lying face-down on the floor. Eren stammered an apology, dropping to the ground to start picking up the remains of his breakfast, but Levi's voice cut through his stammering with a sharp order.

"Leave it. Answer the question: What medical condition does Mikasa have, aside from diabetes?"

Eren stared at him blankly, even as his mind raced. Why did it matter? He had avoided mentioning her health, aside from what had been necessary to prevent her from dying, and he had planned on doing so until they were both free.

"That has nothing to do with your job," Eren said, avoiding the question. "Mikasa has nothing to do with what you want from me."

"Why are you avoiding answering?"

"Why is it so fucking important?!" Eren snapped, slamming his hands on the table. The cup toppled to the ground, water splashing against his bare feet, but he barely noticed as he stared angrily into Levi's calm, unaffected face.

"Your  _sister_ ," Levi said, dragging the word out as if to emphasize the lack of actual relationship between the siblings, "was taken to the infirmary this morning, feverish and unresponsive. Last night it was noted that she had a mild seasonal cold, but this morning she was on the verge of death. At this very moment, the doctors on base are working as hard as they can to get her stabilized and her symptoms under control. No one has any idea what caused this, and you are the only source of information we have that can determine whether she lives or dies."

Eren was shaking, his breath coming in short, rapid gasps the longer Levi talked. A sob ripped its way out, falling from his lips in a surprised gasp of air. Squeezing his eyes shut, he turned his face away from Levi's impassive stare, his fingers curling together on the steel surface of the table.

"Eren. Do you want her to die? Are you  _that_  upset with her?"

" _Nien!_ " Eren shouted, his voice cracking as his tone rose in distress. " _IIch liebe sie, sie ist meine schwester!_ "

Hands grasped his face, forcing his head back, giving him no choice but to look up at Levi. He was reaching across the table, which couldn't have been comfortable at his height, and his words were calm and precise as he spoke to Eren.

"Sit down, take a breath, and  _calm the fuck down._  I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but you need to get over it if you don't want your sister to keep suffering. My people are working as hard as they can to save her life, and you need to tell me what I need to know so that they can succeed in doing that. Do you understand?"

Eren nodded, his eyes wide as his legs buckled. He landed hard on the chair, the force jarring his bones and making his ass hurt, but it was easy enough to ignore as he slowly counted to twelve as he inhaled. Then he counted to twelve as he exhaled. Pause. Repeat. When he didn't feel like he was going to scream again, Levi asked for a third time.

"What is wrong with her?"

"Her immune system is weak. Almost nonexistent. She was born with it. Her body can't fight the sickness on its own. She needs medicine and a good diet to help boost what little immune system she has left."

"Why didn't you let us know to begin with? Why keep it secret?"

"Because I didn't want to give you something to use against her," Eren whispered, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, tucking his face into his knees. "I didn't want to give you another weapon against us."

* * *

Her body was a mass of pain when she became aware enough to feel. The ache was bone-deep, her throat felt raw and torn, and her insides felt shredded. There was a repetitive high-pitched whine that would cut off, then start again not even a moment later, and after listening to it start and stop repeatedly, she was able to place it as a heart monitor. The bed under her was different than the one in the cell, and the air in the room was less stuffy and stale. Blinking open her eyes, she felt a crusty coating cracking and flecking onto her cheeks. The room was dim, and there seemed to be an odd distortion around her. But she couldn't lift her arm, and it wasn't from a lack of strength; leather cuffs kept her arms secured to the rails of the hospital bed, not allowing her to reach her eyes and rub the remains of her sleep away.

"Glad to see you're awake. Do you know your name?"

"Mikasa Ackerman," she mumbled, her throat burning and reminding her that she really wanted water. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital again. Do you remember me?" the woman asked, and Mikasa squinted, having a hard time seeing her blurred and twisted outline.

"You're that nurse. The one that's too nice…. Krista."

"That's right. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Eren came to visit me, and I wasn't feeling good… then I was melting, and no one was helping…" she said, trying to get her sight to focus, to get rid of that odd, annoying smear across her vision.

"Yes, you were very sick. You almost died," Krista said. A rustle of plastic, and her outline sharpened considerably. She turned, the sound of the plastic crinkling grating on Mikasa's ears before Krista stepped over and started checking her vitals.

"…You put me in a clean room?"

"Well, we don't exactly have a clean room, so Dr. Zoe made the next best thing. We want to keep you in a sterile environment as much as possible so that your body can fight the cold easier. We have you on strong medications right now, and we're hopeful that you'll make a full recovery! Here, some water should help with your throat. Is it hurting any?"

"Feels like it's burning," she answered, letting Krista slip the straw past her lips and swallowing. It hurt, at first, but grew easier as the tepid water coated the walls of her throat and relieved the stinging dryness. She finished the cup, licking at her lips as the straw was pulled free from them.

"I'm sorry we have to keep you restrained," Krista said, her voice sincere as she lifted up Mikasa's right arm to strap a pressure cuff. "But for your own safety, as well as other personnel on the base, we have to keep you restrained while you're in here. There are a few soldiers who have a vendetta against the Jaegers, and your brother rubbed a few people the wrong way in his first attempt to break you out."

"It's fine, I'm used to it now," Mikasa muttered, letting her head fall back on the pillow and ignoring the woman as she finished checking up on her and adjusting the IV drip.

"If you can get more sleep, that would be best. You're on the road to recovery, but the more you rest the better your body will help fight back."

Mikasa didn't answer, and a sad sigh reached her ears, along with the rustling of plastic once more to indicate the nurse's departure. She closed her eyes, though sleep wouldn't steal her away, her only companion the consistent beeping of the heart monitor above the bed.

* * *

"I don't understand why he was so reluctant to just tell me," Levi groused, slamming drawers shut in his office. Petra was leaning against the doorframe, watching him as he cursed and ranted in the space his small office provided. When she cleared her throat, he turned to face her, annoyance fueling his actions.

"I would have thought the answer obvious, sir," she stated, her nervousness and hesitance gone. It was a drastic change from when she had been first assigned to monitor his actions and assist with the care of the Jaeger children, and her eyes didn't waver, her body didn't flinch, even as they made eye contact.

"It's because of control. We took away his freedom, and we've restrained his actions and his movement. He can't shower without our permission, can't eat unless we provide him food. He can't even see anyone we don't allow him to… Are you surprised he latched on to any little threads of power he had? The only thing we can't forcefully take from him is information, and even then we have a lot of control over that by using his sister against him as a punishment for not cooperating. He probably felt like telling us about her condition would be relinquishing what little control he had over his situation. It was a play of power, no matter how insignificant it might appear. They did the same thing with her diabetes. If we don't ask them, and they don't feel like sharing, they're not going to tell us anything more than what we  _have_  to know."

"So he'd risk her life to keep control?"

"No, sir, you're looking at it from the wrong angle," Petra said, stepping into the room and closing the door. The latch clicked loudly, and Levi felt his eye twitch at the noise. "He didn't tell us in case we abused the information. Making her sick on purpose. Using her health to manipulate them."

"Who does he think we are?"

"I don't know, Corporal, what kind of impression does he have of us that he'd think we'd resort to that? Have you done anything that would make him question our treatment of them?"

Levi didn't answer, his eyes closing as he slid a hand over his face. He could hear his own words echoing in his mind, much like they had in the small bathroom the night he had first uttered them.

" _You're lucky I'm still on orders to not treat you like the criminal you are."_

Yes, Levi did have to admit that there would be a reason for Eren to not trust them. He had lost his temper, had let himself lose control enough to take his own frustrations out on a boy who hadn't done anything to deserve those words. Eren had been right. He'd worked with what he had been given. And now, he was forcing Levi to only work with what  _Eren_ would give him.

"Levi?" Petra asked, as he dropped into his seat.

"I lost my temper with him, and said some… less than pleasant things. I implicated that I believed he was a criminal, and after that… After that his entire demeanor changed. He was more cooperative, but…"

"But he stopped trusting us. Stopped trusting  _you_. Which was the entire reason behind our actions. So," Petra said, and he listened as the door opened at the same moment as her parting words, "how are you going to fix this, sir?"

Levi let himself think on that answer seriously. He had slipped, he was aware of that, and he had not yet taken the actions needed to fix the problem. He could also track that down to personal pride, which had no place in his investigation. Hanji was right. Petra was right.  _Eren_  was right.

He needed to fix this.

So he went down to the garage to get one of the cars and sign it out. Levi didn't have a personal vehicle, as he lived on the base and rarely had to go anywhere that wasn't work-related. But, Levi thought as he pulled away from the base, this  _was_  related to his work. That's what he kept telling himself, even as guilt crept along his spine, a bitter taste in the back of his mouth that he wasn't able to ignore. So he could only do his best to try and correct his mistake.

When Levi arrived back at the base, he called down Arlert and Kirstein to help him with the bags. They appeared curious, but wisely kept their mouths shut as he led them down to the interrogation rooms.

"Place the shit on the table. All the tags and contraband items need to be removed. Get to work on it and sort them. I'm sure you don't need to be told what belongs to whom. I will return soon enough. You are not permitted to leave until I instruct you to."

He left them in the room, carrying a paper bag. Erd and Gunther greeted him, letting him into the room without a question. When the door was closed behind him, he scanned the room.

It was tidy, the toiletries kept in a neat pile inside the sink basin, and the lack of any personal items stuck out painfully in comparison to his sister's room. He sniffed a little, noticing that Eren was not in immediate sight. But the edge of a blanket stuck out from under the bed, giving away where he had gone to.

"Come on out, I brought lunch. And a few other things, but those are in a different room."

Eren didn't move for a bit, but Levi didn't reach to pull him out; he had learned that lesson already. He wasn't here to rile the kid up, but to try and get on even footing with him. So he crossed the room, sitting on the bed and setting the bag down next to him.

"Is that McDonald's?" Eren asked, shuffling and sticking his head out from under the bed. Levi snorted.

"Close enough."

Eren wriggled out, pushing himself into a sitting position and leaning against the bed as he reached up and peered into the bag. His face lit up as he reached in, pulling out a paper-wrapped sandwich and sniffing at it.

"It's not poisoned," Levi muttered, watching in slight disgust.

"Hush, I'm savouring the moment," the brat retorted, but his tone was light and there was a smile on his face. He unwrapped the sandwich, lifting the top of the bun to inspect the contents before deeming it worthy and taking a bite.

At this, Levi averted his gaze, his tolerance for mess unable to handle a hungry teenage boy with fast-food. It was bad enough to have to  _listen_  to it. He wasn't going to subject himself to witnessing it as well. When he heard Eren give a satisfied sigh, and the sound of paper crinkling came to a stop, he glanced over to see Eren staring up at him curiously. For a second, Levi saw what he believed the rest of the base had since the beginning.

Innocence. Genuine innocence.

Levi stood, grabbing the trash and balling it up in his hand. Eren had been considerate enough to put it back into the bag, leaving only that for Levi to have to touch, and he jerked his head toward the door.

"Come on. We have some shit to talk about."

Eren followed obediently, complacent enough now to come along quietly. Erd trailed behind them, Gunther having left to take his break since he wouldn't be needed until Levi brought Eren back. When they reached the interrogation room, Levi pushed the door open, pleased to find that Arlert and Kirstein hadn't slacked off or bailed out.

They both saluted him, but Levi waved them off. Turning to Erd, he requested a few more chairs, and the puzzled but obedient soldier left to go scrounge some up.

Levi was about to tell Eren to sit down, but the boy was staring blankly at Arlert, as if he had seen a ghost. His skin was pale, and sweat was beading at his hairline. Levi reached out a hand before the boy tipped over and caught the surprised look on Arlert's face as well.

" _Streber?"_ Eren whispered, and Arlert seemed caught off-guard.

"Hello Eren. It's been a while," he replied, and at that Eren took a shaky step forward, as if he didn't believe what he was seeing.

"I… I thought you died,  _Streber_. I thought that… I didn't know… I'm so fucking sorry!" Levi stared incredulously as Eren tackled the blond, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into Arlert's shoulder, his body shaking. There was some more mumbling coming from Eren, but it couldn't be heard through the stiff material of Arlert's uniform jacket.

But Arlert must have heard, because his face softened and he rested a hand on top of the messy brown locks.

"It's okay. I'm fine, see? Nothing happened to me, Short-stack."

"I'm taller than you," Eren muttered, pushing away and wrinkling his nose. His face was red, but his eyes were dry and his hands had stopped shaking. Levi watched them for a moment before flicking his gaze to Kirstein. This was a test, in a sense, as Kirstein was the last of the original trio that had been assaulted by Eren during his botched rescue attempt. The only one that came out intact and was showing no lingering trauma. Levi caught the soldier's eye, and jerked his head a little, and Kirstein obeyed immediately, moving to stand by Levi.

"Can I be assured you won't cause a scene?" Levi asked lowly, even as Eren chattered on a mile a minute to the blond man he was still straddling. "I have already had to stop Braus from assaulting him. I won't be dogging your steps to prevent the same thing, understand?"

"I'm not causing shit. The kid just wanted to get his sister out, I get it. I don't like  _how_  he did it, but I ain't gonna start shit, you know?"

Probably because he saw the fallout from the last attempt. He had seen Sasha getting strapped to the bed, injected with stabilizers and sedatives, and being restricted. He had seen Connie's regressed state for himself, and Levi was confident that Kirstein wouldn't try to go for three-for-three.

"Good. Did you finish sorting the clothes?"

"Yes. I'm assuming the other ones are for Mikasa Ackerman?"

"Yes. If they're going to be here for an indefinite amount of time, they will need belongings other than hospital scrubs. It will also go a ways towards establishing trust. You will present the clothes to him, as a show of your accepting any apology on his part he might or might not give."

"Got it, sir."


	12. Stress Dreams

He didn't understand why, but Eren wasn't going to question the change in Levi's attitude. Having real clothes again was great, and he was given a three-level bookshelf to put them on, along with a set of chairs for his table and a writing pad. If he asked, he could get a book to read too. His visits with Mikasa still depended on the whims of Levi's mood, but he had other visitors now.

Armin would come and visit him sometimes, supervised by Levi and Petra. Eren hadn't known Armin survived, had thought his only friend from childhood had perished at his mother's actions, and seeing him in uniform had caught Eren off-guard, enough for him to slip up and use the silly nickname he had bestowed on the blond haired boy as a kid. Back then, Armin had been a bookworm and a nerd, and Eren took great amusement in saying that to his face without him knowing, much to his father's disapproval. Seeing Armin as an adult, hardened and angry, had hurt. But it was Eren's fault, because his mom had been the one to erase their hometown off of the map.

They talked about it a little, Eren listening as Armin vented his frustrations, and he had only been able to offer an apology. That night had ended poorly, and he hadn't seen Armin again for three weeks, when he came bearing a bag of food and an apology of his own.

The 'interviews' with Levi were a source of endless frustration. They had covered some more mellow topics recently, what Eren knew and a lot about his parents' behaviour. But a lot of what Levi was asking now Eren didn't know anything about. He didn't know their friends, people they'd talked to a lot, or why Eren was home-schooled and Mikasa attended public school. When asked about Mikasa coming to live with them, Eren refused to talk about it, saying that it had nothing to do with anything.

It was the only source of discord left between Levi and Eren, and tensions were rising every time it was mentioned.

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Eren insisted, slamming his fist down on the table. The slam echoed in the room, and Levi's hand rested on Eren's file. "That wasn't— It wasn't planned! I went and did that on my own. Mom and Dad didn't have shit to do with it!"

"You realize this isn't just about your parents. You are a large factor in this investigation as well."

"But I'm innocent! I'm not a part of whatever the fuck they were!"

"That doesn't matter, Eren," Levi stressed. "They raised you, and your actions reflect their teachings. What you see as unrelated, as insignificant, could tell us a lot about what information they gave you. Even if you weren't involved, I doubt your parents planned on keeping you apart from their schemes. We need to find out how much they left with you, and how much you can teach us."

"But Mikasa's not involved! She's not a part of this! I brought her home with me, and I refused to let Dad get rid of her!"

"What do you mean by 'get rid of?'?" Levi asked, and Eren blanched.

"Child services. He was going to call the police and have her put into the foster system, but I told him I'd go get her again."

"And he never called?"

"Nope," Eren agreed. "We adopted her."

"But you didn't ever see a social worker, or talk to the police."

Eren opened his mouth, before closing it again and crossing his arms, staring down at the table.

"We've looked into Mikasa's records, and there's no information on her leaving her home and joining yours. There's also no information on her parents. We went to their last-known address, and it's been abandoned for several years at least. You and your sister are the only ones who can tell us what happened there. Did you kidnap her?"

"No!" Eren said, beginning to grow angry. Levi raised a hand.

"Are her parents deceased? You mentioned foster care, so her parents weren't an option?"

"I don't want to talk about this," Eren whispered, drawing his legs up and pressing his face against his knees. The rough fabric of his jeans was comforting, different from the scrubs he'd been wearing for several weeks. "Please. I don't want to think about it."

"Was it that bad?"

" _Shut up!"_ Eren screamed, his voice cracking on the second word. The phone on the wall rang once, and Eren gave up. He clenched his hands into the material of his pants and just let himself scream, let out the tension and anger that had been building up for god knows how long. "Just  _shut up!_ "

Levi was talking on the phone, his tone angry, but Eren couldn't focus on the words being said. When he blinked, Levi was kneeling in front of him, hands resting on Eren's arms, but Eren still couldn't hear him. He was too angry, the feeling coating his senses and plugging his ears. He smelled blood, and he wondered whose it was.

When he blinked again, Levi had morphed into Mikasa, her hands kneading his hands and wrists. He loosened his fingers, the digits stiff and cramped, and her hands gently laced with his, her thumbs rubbing against the joint of both of his.

"It's okay, Eren. I'm here. It's okay. You're okay. Just breathe."

Eren nodded, taking a deep gulp and letting it out harshly, repeating until the burning in his chest disappeared. His throat was raw and painful, his ears ringing oddly, and his head was stuffed with fuzz. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against Mikasa on the cold cement. There wasn't a drop of blood in sight.

"Are you better now?" she asked, stretching her fingers between his. It felt good, as it pushed his fingers apart as well, and he mimicked her actions without a second thought. He was tired, exhaustion slamming into him and causing him to slump against his sister wearily.

"Mhm."

"Can you finish answering his questions? After you finish, you can go to sleep, okay?" Mikasa asked, and Eren shook his head.

"It's not relevant. Doesn't matter."

"But it might, Eren. There's a lot we don't know, and you might know it. Okay? I'm giving you permission to talk about it. Want me to tell it too? I'll tell what I can, but I need you to fill in the spots I don't know. Is that acceptable?" Her voice rose on the last question, directed to the man listening quietly behind the table. Eren lifted his head to look at Levi, seeing him nod in agreement.

"That would work best, since then I won't have to sit through this twice."

Mikasa rose to her feet, hands sliding under Eren's arms to help him rise as well. His legs were shaking, weak and unsteady, but Mikasa shouldered the weight well and sat down in a chair, pulling Eren onto her lap. They sat together, Eren scooting around, readjusting, until they were both comfortable.

"May we continue now?" Levi asked, and Eren nodded, flushing in embarrassment.

* * *

 

This wasn't how he had planned on conducting the interviews, but if having the two of them together got the job done, he'd put up with it. Aside from the fact that he was going to kick Hanji's ass for calling the interrogation room - he had explicitly forbidden it while Eren was in the room - he was relieved that they were finally making progress.

Eren looked like shit, but that wasn't strange considering he had just experienced a full-blown meltdown not even five minutes previous. Levi had sent for the sister, since that's who Eren kept screaming for. Levi's ears still rang from the chaos. Now both of them were looking at him in apprehension, the sister able to hide it much easier than the boy.

"So, feel free to start at any time," Levi said, knowing that Hanji was recording the conversation on the other side of the mirror. If he missed something in his notes, he could grab them from her later and fill in the blanks.

"I remember Dad answered the door. I don't know who he was waiting for, but he thought that it was someone else on the other side of the door. We lived away from the city because Mom was sick and didn't like the noise. I didn't think it was odd at the time, but I think Dad and Mom were hiding from people, and that they're the ones who found us. Dad didn't even have time to react, he died with a smile on his face. Mom went crazy, grabbing a knife and rushing at the men who stepped in. She took an axe to the throat. I think it was ours; it was supposed to be by the woodshed. I remember wondering why they had it, but then they knocked me out," Mikasa said, her hands wrapped around Eren's waist as she rested her head against his side. His head rested on top of hers, his eyes staring resolutely at the wall as he fingered the cuff of his sister's sleeve.

"I woke up to them arguing. My mom wasn't supposed to die, since she was worth more than me. I'm a halfie, and she's full-blooded Japanese, and that made a difference on the sex market. It didn't take much to figure out that's what was going to happen to me. They were going to sell me to the highest bidder. One of the men had gotten bored with the argument and came over to 'sample the goods,' so to speak. But there was a knock on the door, and well, Eren was there." Eren took his cue, his eyes never wavering from where they were focused on the distant wall. He spoke quietly, and Mikasa rubbed his back lightly, her own eyes unfocused. A bitter taste formed in Levi's mouth, but he didn't have time to be disgusted by the story that was forming between the two of them.

"Dad took me to work with him that day. He had gotten into a fight with Mom again over something about my schoolwork, and she was very upset. So he brought me with him. He's a surgeon, but he's also does house calls. I was supposed to wait in the car, but I was bored and I didn't get to play outside much. I snuck away while he was inside with a patient. I got lost, though, and when I went to knock on someone's door to ask for directions it fell open and I saw them. I knew they were dead, and I was curious. The picture on the wall had the same faces as the two bodies, but there was a third face that wasn't in the house, and I wondered where she was. So I cleaned up, took the knife that was stuck in the body by the door, and followed the trail they left. Dad had taught me how to track people, and it wasn't hard to find the path they left behind. Honestly, they were idiots."

Levi noted the change in Eren's tone, his voice growing stronger. His hands grasped his sister's, knuckles white. It couldn't have felt good to Mikasa, but she showed no signs of pain as she continued to stare blankly ahead, most likely seeing the scenes as they were talked about.

"I had my gun, of course. I wasn't allowed to leave the house without it," Eren continued, his nose wrinkling as if the thought of  _not_  having it was absurd. "But guns make too much noise, and I didn't have a silencer yet. 'Little boys don't need them,' Mom always said, and I was going to get one for my birthday that year, since I wouldn't be a little kid anymore. But the knife was quiet, and if I needed to, I could defend myself. Dad always said I was a natural at close combat, and he was sure I could protect myself. When I found their path, it led to a small cabin. I made myself start crying, and smeared some dirt on my face. I needed to look like I'd gotten lost, if only to buy me a few moments. And if I somehow ended up following the wrong people, I wouldn't scare anyone by pointing a knife in their face."

The casualness of how Eren talked about his plotting, his split-second decision making, and his willingness to manipulate, was disturbing. Mikasa was looking at Levi with the same emotions in her eyes that rested uneasily in Levi's stomach.

_She didn't know,_  Levi realized, noting that down as well.  _She's just as surprised. It's one thing to experience, another to hear the reasoning behind it._

"When the guy answered the door, I knew he was trash. He still had blood on his trousers, and so I started crying, saying that I'd gotten lost and couldn't find my dad. He let his guard down, and that's when I stabbed him. I wonder if he was the one who stabbed Mikasa's dad. That would be ironic, wouldn't it? Divine justice? Karma? But he fell down with a shout, and I quickly closed the door and grabbed a broom. I had seen a second man in there by Mikasa, and when he opened the door I whacked him with the broom, knocking him to the ground, and then shot him."

Mikasa had closed her eyes by that point, her face pale. Levi couldn't blame her, knowing the damage a gun could cause at close range. The aftermath of the Jaeger's uprising had been one such example. Mikasa started speaking at that point, and Eren fell silent, his eyes falling shut as hers opened.

"There were three men though, and I barely had time to warn Eren. I didn't expect everything that happened, and I was in shock. But by the time I could tell him there was one more, the guy had pinned Eren to the wall by his throat. Eren's gun had fallen to the ground, and he screamed at me to grab it. I did, but I was scared. I had never held a gun before, and everything was catching up to me. But Eren was right; if I gave up then, I was as good as dead. So… I aimed at the guy and shot him in the back. He dropped Eren, and Eren took the gun and shot him again, since he was still moving. Eren found me a change of clothes, since blood had gotten on mine, and he wrapped us both up in a blanket and led me outside and sat me down on the porch while he cleaned up inside. He then led me towards the highway. We walked along it for a while, following the signs back towards the city, and that's when Grisha found us. He yelled a lot at Eren, but Eren convinced him to take me home with them. Grisha was going to drop me off at the police station and have them deal with me, but Eren threatened to call the police and tell them what happened. Grisha gave in after that, and I joined the Jaeger home."

Mikasa swallowed, rubbing her cheek against Eren's shoulder.

"Grisha wasn't a stranger to me. I'd seen him at least twice a month because of the diabetes and immune system problems. He made it so that I was living with him legally, saying that my condition had evolved to the point where twenty-four-seven monitoring was needed, and made it look like my parents had agreed. No one questioned me moving in. I still went to school, being transferred to the one by Eren's house, and adapted. Grisha did some grief counseling as well, and encouraged me to talk about what happened and taught me ways to heal from it."

Mikasa cleared her throat, her eyes dropping to the shiny, metallic surface of the table. "He… He honestly wasn't a bad man. Carla never liked me much, but she put up with me because Eren loved me. Grisha genuinely cared about me, like his son, and helped me through the worst of my grief. He also said… said that Eren needed a big sister to help him make good choices, that sometimes he would do things that weren't good, and he hoped that I'd be a voice of reason. He was worried about Eren, worried that people would get hurt because of him, and… and when everything happened, when Carla… you know… I hoped that Grisha would find us and take us away somewhere. But he never came back… and I guess it's because he was killed. You're  _sure_  it was Grisha, right? It wasn't a fake?"

Mikasa looked up at that point, meeting Levi's eyes with a plea for him to answer her, for him to tell her that Eren's father was out there somewhere. But he couldn't; he had checked out the corpse himself to make sure that someone wasn't pulling the wool over their eyes.

"I checked the body myself. It was Grisha Jaeger."

She nodded, disappointment veiled behind grief. Eren was staring blankly at the wall again, and Levi wasn't sure if he was even listening anymore.

"Thank you for your cooperation. This… was a lot more valuable than I was led to believe. For now, you both may return to Eren's room. If you want anything, let Petra know and she will get it for you. I have a meeting to attend," Levi said, scooping up his notes and sliding them into the folder, the door to the interrogation room opening to show Petra, along with two guards behind her. Levi watched as Mikasa urged Eren to his feet, keeping an arm around his shoulders as they walked from the room, Mikasa unable to look away from the floor, and Eren just staring blankly ahead. Levi wondered if he was even aware that they were done, that he was being escorted back to his room. Levi left after them, walking down the hall towards the conference room. He was sure Hanji had already called a meeting together, and didn't bother to wait for her, even as she ran after him, her white lab coat billowing behind her.

"This changes everything!" she was babbling, once they were out of earshot of the kids. "Eren's entire perspective on what's normal and what isn't is completely twisted. Every answer he gave us might actually have a different meaning than what we assumed. This is absolutely fascinating. You need to really dig into his brain and find out what makes him tick."

"Why don't you, if you're so fucking eager?" Levi spat, shoving open the doors to the conference room. Moblit was already in there, a box of papers beside him, and Mike was there as well, but Erwin had yet to arrive, which didn't surprise him. He was the base commander, after all, and had other obligations to fulfill. He'd be here at his own pace, and so Levi slammed the folder down onto the table angrily, scaring Moblit.

"We're fucking back right where we started," Levi announced. "We know jack shit, and what we thought we knew might be a fucking lie."

"But we made a huge breakthrough!" Hanji chimed in, her own folder and computer being put down on the table with much more care. "Eren Jaeger indeed received special training from Carla and Grisha, and reports from both children indicate that there was a discord between the adults, Carla much more zealous than her husband. If things had not escalated when they did, I highly suspect that Grisha Jaeger would have taken the children and left Carla, and thus the sleeper cell as well."

"Which leads me to question if the timing was deliberate. Eren Jaeger had not been trained to full efficiency, and was still in the dark about his parents' true intentions. He wasn't aware that he would be expected to participate, and how much of that was tied to Grisha Jaeger will never be known. But if the cell had discovered Grisha's intentions, was their schedule moved up to prevent him from escaping?"

The question hung in the air, and no one had an answer.

Did Eren's actions that night mess up the original plans for the cell? He had professionally executed a rescue mission and prevented Mikasa Ackerman from getting sold on the black market, that was clear, but had it messed up the order of events?

How long would they have waited? What if they  _had_  waited until Eren was old enough to join the cause?

* * *

 

Armin's hands shook as he wrote his report. Hanji had invited him to sit in on the interrogation.

"It'll be good practice!" she had proclaimed, and so Armin had agreed to listen and take his own set of notes. But after listening, he was regretting his decision. He was too close to this case; this was too personal. He had lived through the attack that the Jaegers had started, and he had too many personal feelings tied to both the Jaeger kids and the town they had erased from the map.

He pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to erase the images that danced in front of them. Of the vivid colour of freshly-spilt blood, of faces twisted in pain as they died from a spray of bullets. Of watching people he had grown up with and come to trust turn against their neighbours in the name of a cause he didn't understand.

"I'm a fool," he whispered to the empty observation room. "I'm a fucking idiot."

He had played with Eren as a kid, under the watchful eye of Grisha Jaeger. It had always felt like a secret, that Eren was his imaginary friend. Grisha had been his family's doctor, and after his parents' accident, had become something of a father-figure in Armin's own life. That had hurt the most, finding out that Grisha was involved in the deaths of all that Armin had known and loved. The anger he had held in his heart for Eren and Mikasa all these years was a bitter weight in his chest now, because he was beginning to realize that they were truly innocent of their parents' sins.

He couldn't stop wondering what life inside that two-story home had been like for those two. What had Eren's childhood been like if he thought that a  _gun_  was normal to carry around? That Carla had promised to give him a silencer for his birthday? What  _fucked up_ things had Eren been taught aside from that, to not see how strange it was, or to never question his parents' intentions?

How had Mikasa not seen? True, she had to have been traumatized from the deaths of her parents, and then witnessing a boy younger than herself killing the culprits right after that. But had she been oblivious to what was going on?

_She wasn't schooled with Eren. She attended public school with me. She was only a grade below me_ , he remembered suddenly, a bitter taste in his mouth at the reminder.  _She didn't need to see anything. They would have continued Eren's education while she was away. Eren wouldn't have thought to share with her either, because it was normal for him. She admitted Carla had little to do with her, and Grisha…_

Grisha had known what would eventually happen. That his son was close to being a lost cause. How much pressure had that put on Mikasa afterwards? The knowledge that she was the only one who knew Eren's problems, and the burden of being responsible for any of his shortcomings coming to light? How fragile was Eren's moral compass of wrong and right?

_Look at Sasha and Connie and you'll see_ , the rational part of his mind added.  _Eren attacked them without hesitation. Didn't kill them, but he wasn't above breaking their minds and spirits._

Armin curled up on the spinning chair and moaned.

_I'm such a fool_.


	13. Sleep Talking

Mikasa clung to Eren, the sheets wrapped around them tightly as she used Eren’s shoulder as a pillow. Petra had led them back to Eren’s room, oddly quiet as she helped Mikasa lay Eren down on the bed, and backing away as Mikasa slid in beside him, intent on blocking out the world. She listened to Petra moving the table, and the quiet voices of her and the two guards as they settled down for the time being.

She appreciated the silence, the lack of questions and concern. She needed time to think, time to process what Eren had said, the implications of Grisha’s warning years ago, of her responsibility that she had not taken seriously.

_Is this my fault?_ she wondered. _Am I the reason Eren’s like this now? Could I have been better for him if I knew the real damage he could cause? If I hadn’t been so scared?_

She shifted, tightening her hold on Eren as she buried her face into his shirt to muffle the sobs, the thick fabric absorbing her tears. She felt him shift a little, an arm coming to wrap around her and pull her closer.

“Mika,” he murmured soothingly, “hush now.”

“I’m sorry, Eren, I’m so sorry,” she gasped between sobs. She knew that the three adults in the room could hear them, but no one intervened, no one spoke, and it was easy to pretend they weren’t present.

“Not your fault,” he mumbled, a shaky hand coming up to stroke her hair. It was getting long again, and his fingers smoothed out the tangles that were forming in the fine strands. “None of this is your fault.”

“I should have listened better,” she denied. “I should have _listened_.”

“To what? The words of a murdering psychopath?” Eren snorted, bitterness dripping from his words. She briefly wondered if he meant Grisha, or himself. “You were a kid too, Mika. What the fuck were you expected to do?”

“Be a better sister? Be there for you? Not be so self-absorbed and cause you even _more_ proble—”

“Listen here,” Eren said angrily, pushing up into a sitting position. Mikasa slid off of him but he reached out and pulled her closer again, cradling her to his chest. “You did a fucking lot for us after… everything. You’re the reason we managed to survive so long, okay? You kept everything together, and you kept me _sane_. Don’t talk about yourself like that. It’s not your fault I’m fucked up, okay? That’s _her_ fault, and Dad’s fault. You’re the only person who’s ever treated me like I’m normal, and even after all of this, you’re the only one who still does. Don’t think for a moment that doesn’t help me.”

Mikasa sniffed, looking up into those calm, loving eyes. Eyes that only ever looked like that for her, and it made warmth blossom inside her chest, flooding her with love. She loved Eren so much more than a sister should, and she knew that _he_ knew that as well, if her own eyes reflected her feelings the same way his did.

“You’re the only person in the world who doesn’t see me as a monster,” he whispered. “That means _everything_ to me.”

She nodded, smiling weakly.

“You’re not a monster, Eren. Anyone who knows you would see that.”

“You’re the only one who knows me, then,” Eren shrugged. “That’s all I care about. I don’t give a fuck what happens as long as you’re there. As long as you’re okay.”

A thrill of terror shot through her, mixing with the warm love that still burned strongly. She knew what he meant by that. Hadn’t they just confessed the extent of their love not even a half hour ago? Wasn’t that why they were here, entwined together on a cheap prison cot, three guards sitting in the corner observing them? She didn’t want to let Eren see that fear, that understanding of how far he would go for her, so she pressed her face into his shoulder, scooting even closer to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He returned the gesture, holding her tightly and humming quietly under his breath.

_Hickory-dickory-dock, the mouse ran up the clock…_

* * *

 

“Think of this as a cipher,” Erwin said, looking down at one of the many papers that were now spread out along the conference table. A trolley of coffee, tea, and crackers had been brought in an hour ago, pushed against the wall near the whiteboard and out of the way, and Levi was fixing himself a new cup from the carafe of hot water. Hanji nursed her own mug of coffee, Moblit standing beside her, mirroring her actions, while Mike was eating a package of cheese crackers.  They were waiting for Erwin to catch up on what they’d been discussing for the past four hours. All of their case notes so far were gathered and laid out before him while he tried to sort through all of the conflicting information and find the potential key words that might contain some deeper meaning.

“You have all of the necessary information here already. There is no need to go back and retrieve it again. What we need now, in order to understand the contents of these notes, is the cipher; or in this case, Eren Jaeger’s view of reality. Things he takes for granted, things that are strange to him, and conflicts of perspective between him and the Ackerman girl. These are all parts of the key.”

“That much is obvious,” Levi snapped, his temper flaring. He downed the scalding tea in two gulps, the resulting burn waking him up more than the caffeine. “But how the fuck are we supposed to do that? The only one who knows what the fuck’s going on in his head is Eren Jaeger, and if you hadn’t noticed, he’s not going to be helpful.”

“Is that so?” Erwin’s calm, unaffected demeanour rankled Levi, but Hanji nodded along with the commander.

“It makes sense. Eren might not be able to understand what’s odd about his outlooks on life, but _we_ do. We need to show him those differences, show him our reality, and he will begin to see how his own conflicts. He’ll be able to point out those differences himself, and we will be able to understand him more. The more conflicting points we can find, the more we might be able to unearth, or at least draw to his attention and have him confirm or deny them.”

“And again, why don’t you fucking do it if you’re so damn eager?”

“I can’t, sadly,” Hanji pouted, setting down her empty mug and stealing Moblit’s. He didn’t seem to mind, taking Hanji’s empty cup and getting up to refill it. “I would taint the evidence. It’s why we both have our own set of notes, Levi. You get a different impression of what’s happening because he’s talking to you. Whereas I get to observe from an outside angle, get to see more of his body language and reactions. I don’t need to focus on the words so much as his responses to them. I record the interviews because I’m not focusing on his words as intently as you are.”

Hanji shuffled through the mess on the table, pulling out a red folder with a yellow sticker on the lower left corner, flipping it open and scanning the contents as she continued talking. “You’ve also established a relationship with Eren now, and have developed your own opinions of him. You don’t coddle him,” she assured, glancing up and noticing his annoyance, “but you two have developed a bond of trust, whether you meant to or not.”

“And why can’t you do your own interviews?” Levi pressed, not seeing the point in her ramblings. She laughed.

“I’m a stranger to him. It doesn’t matter what I ask him, he won’t give me the same answers that he would to you. Hewould monitor himself and censor his responses, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible in order to defend himself. With you, he’s lost a lot of that caution. You’ve seen him at his worse several times, have witnessed him losing his temper as well as seen him having a breakdown. He doesn’t know I’ve seen those as well, and won’t extend to me the same camaraderie that he has shown with you. You two have fought, talked, and shared a lot of information together. You’ve spent a lot of time together as well. He trusts you, whether he wants to or not. It’s clear to observe in his actions. He might not appreciate all that you say or do,” Hanji added with a grin, “but he trusts you to do what you believe is the right thing.”

“How can you _know_ all of that?” Levi asked, incredulous.

“ Like I said, I’m watching his body language more than listening to what he says. More often than not, the two conflict. He says one thing, but his body tells you something else. When you ask him things he’s not sure he wants to answer, he behaves as if he _wants_ to tell you but something in his mind is screaming at him to hold it in. Watching him during such states of conflict has taught me a lot; it also shows me what information we need to focus more on, because that hesitation is his training fighting against his urge to confide in you.”

She laid the folder on the table, the messy scrawl of Hanji’s notes staring up at the room. Everyone leaned in, looking at the colour-coded sheet.

“The parts highlighted in pink are topics of conflict, and the parts underlined in blue pen are when he actually responded despite that conflict. The parts underlined in red are where he immediately answered, yet still showed some minor signs of conflict. Those are potential lies, though don’t hold it against him, since he’s been brainwashed into repressing information. The parts highlighted in green are when his tone was more distressed than his body language presented, and the parts highlighted in blue are when his body language was more distressed than his words. Words highlighted in yellow are ones when he started saying one thing but stopped and changed his answer.”

Levi was impressed, picking up the folder and flicking through the sheets. Each page was covered in marks, some more heavily than others, and one page was a nauseating combination of all of them.

“So, if we find out how all of these connect to each other, we can decipher what he really meant to say,” Erwin concluded, and Hanji nodded. Mike silently watched, eyes flicking from speaker to speaker.  Levi closed the folder.

“How much trouble would it be for you to give me a list of each of these, separated into their different categories?” Levi asked. Hanji shrugged.

“I can have them to you tomorrow in time for your morning interview with Eren—”

“I’m cancelling that for now. Both children need some time to come to terms with what was discussed today.”

“Mikasa more than anyone,” Hanji agreed. “Did you see her face when Eren described—”

“Yes, I did,” Levi interrupted, remembering the way she had looked at him as if asking him to tell her that this wasn’t real, that it was just a dream.

“Eren’s love is a terrifying force,” Hanji said quietly, standing up and starting to straighten the papers out. Levi joined her, and soon the meeting was dissolved.

“You two have done a lot of work in a short amount of time,” Erwin said, running a hand through his hair. “Even if this appears to be a setback, don’t belittle how much you’ve managed to accomplish so far. The fact that we have this information to begin with says a lot about your abilities. I thank you for your continued dedication to this cause, and if you need more resources, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Levi saluted, and when Erwin left, he sighed, stacking a pile of folders to the side of the ones Hanji had already started to gather together.

“Why does it feel like we’ve gotten nowhere, then?”

“Because we’re too close to the project. We see it evolve day by day, moment by moment. Commander Erwin sees it in reports and meetings, which aren’t consistently scheduled. For him, it appears to be a grander leap forward than it does for you.”

“Stop actually answering rhetorical questions,” Levi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hanji laughed, and Moblit offered a sympathetic smile. Levi narrowed his eyes at the assistant.

“How do you put up with this all the time?”

“The power of love,” he responded. “And a lot of drugs.”

* * *

 

Jean hadn’t lied to Corporal Levi that day. He wasn’t going to pick a fight with the Jaeger boy over the base invasion. But this didn’t stop him from feeling a familiar anger form in his chest as he sat with Sasha and Connie, watching them put together a puzzle in one of the converted hospital rooms. They didn’t have a locked medical room before, but with Connie and Sasha both remaining on base instead of going to a psychiatric hospital, they had made modifications to assure everyone’s safety. Sasha’s still-erratic behaviour, coupled with Connie’s amnesia, made it dangerous to let them wander the base unsupervised, and they were already stretched thin with the long-term care of the Jaeger kids in the holding cells. The cells that also had not been designed for long-term use.

Nothing would ever be like it was before, he was coming to realize, watching as both of the twenty-five year olds acted like teenagers (which, he mused, Connie thought he was, and Sasha was accommodating his delusion).  Jean had originally meant to join the Secret Service, living a life of comfort and wealth without all of the dangers that would have come with any other military position. Then he had met Marco in boot camp, and things began to change. Marco was friendly to everyone, willing to be friends even with someone as rude and self-centered as Jean had been.

He had also met Armin in boot camp, a sullen, angry genius with his life already mapped out. He would tell anyone who bothered to listen about how he would be joining the Department of Homeland Security, and how his only desire was to stop any terrorist that dared to threaten his home. He didn’t know at the time that the angry kid he met - for he had barely been eighteen at the time - had been a survivor of the terrorist attack in Trost County. Armin hadn’t been interested in making friends. Fuck, the angry brat hadn’t been interested in anything involving another person, but Marco pursued a friendship with him anyway and somehow got through to Armin.

One night, as they shared a bottle of whiskey in secret, Marco confided that he was going into the same department as Armin. Jean was shocked, as Marco had been dead-set before on protecting the president (for much nobler reasons than Jean, admittedly). But this change in attitude, along with the determined glint in Marco’s chocolate brown eyes, had sparked something inside his chest.

So, when the time came, Jean had also signed up. He still couldn’t explain _why_ ; saying ‘my heart told me to’ didn’t count. It was now almost four years since then, and here he sat, watching his broken comrades in a broken base. He had lost his best friend, his purpose, and his faith in people. The last, he admitted, wasn’t Eren Jaeger’s fault.

No, that was Armin Arlert’s. Him and Marco, anyway. Jean hadn’t meant to see, but he’d stumbled across them in a back room and there’d been no mistaking what was going on. Marco’s hand down the front of Armin’s open slacks was hard to misinterpret. Jean had apologized and fled, not even remembering the cleaning supplies he had gone there to retrieve. It had explained Marco’s rejection of his confession, at least, since he was clearly interested in someone else.

“Do you want to play?” Sasha asked, jerking Jean out of his thoughts. He looked up, seeing their hopeful gazes, and sighed, pushing himself to his feet and dragging his chair over.

“Fine. What the hell is this game, anyway?”

* * *

 

Armin stood in front of Hanji’s office door, hands twisting together. Moblit had told him that Hanji wanted to see him as soon as he was available, and the words were delivered with a sense of grimness that didn’t sit well in Armin’s stomach. He had felt nauseous during his shift, and when he was relieved for the day Moblit had met him to escort him through the cell block. Now, he watched as the door opened and Moblit held it ajar for Armin to step through, closing it behind him and leaving Armin alone with the department head. Who, for once, didn’t have a mountain of work on her desk. No, only one folder sat there, closed, the typed ’Arlert, Armin’ on the tab not comforting in the least.

“Sit down,” she said, and her voice lacked the usual warmth that it normally held during their meetings. He did so, dread building in his chest.

“You said something before, and it wouldn’t leave my head. I have the misfortune of having an eidetic memory, which I’m sure you understand the pains of.”

He had never mentioned that to anyone before, and he looked up in surprise.

“Yet, this doesn’t make us infallible. Sometimes, we don’t realize what we’ve said unless we recall it later.”

She flipped open the folder, reading the information on the front page aloud.

“Armin Arlert, male, age twenty-three, blond hair, blue eyes, Caucasian… See, there’s something here that doesn’t make sense to me.”

She looked up at him, a serious glint in her eyes.

“How does a thirteen-year-old boy age ten years in only half that time?” she asked, tapping the line that had his age displayed. Armin paled, closing his eyes as his dread began to show in the form of tears. “It’s amazing how the truth will fall from our lips in moments of distress, isn’t it?”

“I skipped a lot of grades in school,” Armin answered, his voice hoarse, empty. He had been caught, and there was no point in denying it. Not to a genius like the one who sat across from him. “When I lived in Trost, I was only a year ahead of Mikasa. After… after that, I graduated the next year, determined to stop wasting my time with pretending that I was like other people. But I knew that I couldn’t join the military until I was eighteen. There was no way they’d give me an exception, so I took advantage of the fact that Trost was still in shambles and made new papers. I changed my age so I could join sooner… Trost made people too wary to dig far into my records, even years later.”

“So, you’re really eighteen?” Hanji confirmed, and Armin nodded, eyes cast down at the floor.

“Well, I’m willing to keep this under wraps, given that I really like you and still want you to replace me eventually,” Hanji said, and Armin looked up, startled. She grinned at him, though there was a cold, sharp edge to the grin that made a thrill of terror rush through his veins.

“You will not be let off the hook for forging official documents and lying to the government though,” she continued. “I will be expecting your cooperation for several tasks, as well as seeing you here every weekend for additional training. Right now, the only people who know this information are you, me, and Moblit. If you wish for this to remain that way, you will comply with my terms. Is that understood?”

Armin swallowed, and nodded. Confused, he asked timidly, “Why?”

“Because we have a mole on the base, and I’ve only just been able to clear your background to make sure that it’s not you. Moblit also has been checked and cleared, so now the three of us will start trying to covertly work out who’s leaking confidential information. Some people will be easier to clear than others, but we can’t leave any stone unturned.”

Dread flooded Armin again, but this time for a different reason.

“You mean…”

“Someone on the base is part of the Cell, and is feeding information back to their agents. We need to find them, dig them out, and silence them.”


	14. Sleep Talking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains heavy mentions of torture, abuse, and brainwashing.

 

"Do you understand what brainwashing is?" Levi asked, setting down his breakfast on the steel table. Mikasa sat beside Eren, her hand interlaced with his comfortingly as their empty plates rested in front of them. Mikasa was making more of an effort to eat every meal, which had not gone unnoticed by Levi. While some days were less successful than others, her frame was finally filling out, her cheeks growing less hollow and softening her features. She was quite a pretty girl when she didn't look like she was on the verge of dying all the time.

"That's when you condition a person or group of people to believe or act in a certain manner," Eren answered promptly, as if reciting a textbook reference. "The conditioning can be something as harmless as taking off your shoes as soon as you enter a home, or as complex as believing that opening the window will cause you to die. When referring to the act of brainwashing, it's mainly spoken of in a negative sense, since technically everyone's brainwashed from a young age. Morals, beliefs, religious outlooks, culture, they're all a form of communal brainwashing, yet society doesn't see this as a bad thing. It's when you brainwash a person to act in a manner that results in violence or harm to that person or others that it becomes disgusting."

"More or less," Levi conceded, jotting down in his notebook,  _Has been taught brainwashing?_

"It also refers to the act of taking a person who has already developed a sense of morals, beliefs, religious outlooks, or culture and manipulating their mind to start believing in something else, or acting in a manner that contradicts those already-developed behaviours. It can be long-term or short-term, and short-term is easier to heal than long-term. Long-term brainwashing can remain in place for years, even after removing them from the situation and starting treatment to correct the damage."

"Would what you did to Sasha Braus be considered short-term brainwashing?"

"I guess," Eren admitted, biting his lip. "I mean, I did manipulate her sense of duty to defend the base so she'd lead me to my sister, using words and emotions to convince her that listening to me instead of her basic training would be better for her and everyone else. It's really a grey area, and the term 'brainwashing' is too broad-spectrum to say for sure. You could say that the education system is a form of brainwashing, because children are being conditioned to learn information that other people deem useful and important, which might not coincide with the beliefs of the child or their family."

"Is that why you were homeschooled?"

"Yeah, that's what Mom said."

"Do you understand why I'm asking you this?" Levi asked, and Eren sighed, his right eye twitching briefly in agitation.

"Despite what you think, I'm not stupid. You don't think I understand that my parents might have brainwashed  _me_ , instead? Why the fuck do you think—"

"Eren, calm down," Mikasa murmured, squeezing his hand. "He only wants to check and make sure you're not too-far gone. No one said you're stupid."

"Your sister's right," Levi confirmed. "Several of the things you've said have indicated different levels of brainwashing." He flipped open the folder, turning it around and sliding it across the table toward the siblings. Mikasa pulled it closer, looking at the typed transcripts of interviews, sections and phrases highlighted in bold yellow. He had used his own personal notes instead of Hanji's crazy mess, not needing to disclose that level of detail to the two teens. This folder had been designed to show only the sections of major concern, or obvious ones. He watched Eren's face as he scanned them too, confusion and horror growing on his features as the pages kept turning, more yellow sections being revealed to him.

"If it makes you feel better," Levi said quietly, watching Eren's face closely as he spoke, "I believe you are innocent."

"I… I'm really…"

"You are  _not_ ," Mikasa hissed, slamming the folder closed and shoving it away from them. Levi caught it before it could slide to the floor, putting it away in the small satchel he'd brought along to keep his interview notes neatly contained. "We talked about this already, Eren. You are not a monster!"

"Did you not see that, Mika?!" he cried, slamming his hands down on the table. "Did you not fucking read it? Those words came from  _my_  mouth! And I didn't— I don't even think twice about shit like—"

"Because you were conditioned to believe—"

"That doesn't make it right—"

"Enough," Levi cut in coolly, taking a sip of his drink. One thing he had learned over the months of working with the two teens was that no interview went as planned. Tangents were frequent, and often the main topic was derailed by small details. Those were no less valuable than anything else, but it made it hard to keep progressing smoothly. Having both of them in here at the same time was both progressive and detrimental, and he was reconsidering the group interviews. They quieted, turning to look at him, and Levi gestured to Eren with his mug.

"You are a monster, in a sense. However, she's right too; you were conditioned to think the way that you do. That's why you need to tell us everything you know, and you need to listen when we tell you that your thinking is compromised. You don't  _have_  to be a monster, Eren. Just because that's what you were raised to become doesn't mean that's what you're destined to be."

Eren looked down at the floor, his face tight, and Mikasa was looking at Levi angrily. Petra cleared her throat from the back of the room, and the teens jumped, turning to look at her. She smiled kindly, her eyes soft and gentle as she gazed at the two.

"We want to help you, Eren. While Corporal Levi could have put it more tactfully," she said, pausing to give Levi a look he easily read as, 'Good job, asshole,' before focusing again on the kids, "there are things that you were taught to believe were normal but aren't. It's hard for us to know what those things are, though, because we weren't there. Mikasa wasn't there for most of it either, and so the only one who can help us with finding those problem areas is you. With your help, we can help you relearn things properly."

"But how do I do that?" Eren asked, desperate. Petra looked at Levi, and he took over for her.

"By being as honest as you can be, even if your mind tells you to be quiet. It's been observed that you are prone to hesitating, or becoming agitated, over some topics. Do you ever feel like something bad will happen if you answer truthfully, and you feel like lying instead, or answering with something vague, or changing the topic entirely?"

Eren didn't respond, his hands grasping the arms of the metal chair. Mikasa rested a hand on his arm, her thumb rubbing his skin soothingly. Levi nodded, setting his pen down and lacing his fingers together.

"Those things that you're trying to hold back are the very things we need to know. You've been taught to keep them secret, to fear answering questions about them. I don't know what the motivations were, or what methods were used in conditioning you never to talk about these topics, but I promise you that revealing information will never be used against you. You will not be punished for answering us, no matter what the answer reveals about your own actions. You will not be charged with any crimes that might come to light, no matter how involved you were. You are innocent of your parents' crimes, do you understand? You are  _safe_  here."

"My head hurts," Eren moaned, leaning forward and resting his forehead on the table. Mikasa moved her hand to his back, rubbing at his neck. The silence was broken only by Eren's unsteady breaths, mixed with whimpers and hitches as he tried to regain control over himself. Levi understood that it was a lot of information to take in at once, a lot to come to terms with.

"Mom used to… She… It was the day that Dad took me to work with him, because they were fighting after he walked in one day during Mom's class time. Mom and Dad taught me differently. I liked Dad's classes better, even if they were weirder than Mom's. Mom liked to play pretend a lot. Or the Secrets Game. If I could manage to keep a secret, no matter what, I got a prize. If I didn't, I got in trouble. When we'd play pretend, she'd tell me who I was supposed to be and then we'd go out to another town and I'd have to pretend all day. If I didn't do it right, I got in trouble. I didn't like making Mom upset. She was scary when she was angry."

"Did she ever touch you physically, or hurt you using any objects?" Levi asked quietly. Slowly, Eren nodded.

"The day that Dad came in, we were playing the Secrets Game. I went upstairs and took the promise ring that Mom had gotten from her first boyfriend as a kid. That's what the game was, you know? I'd go do something, or hide something, and then she'd try to find out what I did while I tried to make sure she didn't find out. I buried the ring in the backyard under the apple tree, and she decided to use the zappy stick to try and make me give away the secret. She used different things, and some of them hurt more than others," he said, his arm twitching lightly. Mikasa looked ill as she kept rubbing at his back, her hand shaking as she listened.

"I gave in and told her where her promise ring was. I'd done things like that before, like hiding her wallet or keys. I even took her wedding ring once while she was sleeping, and put it in Dad's coat pocket so that he took it to work with him. I'd confessed about those, and other secrets, but she'd never gotten as angry before as she did when I told her about the promise ring. The zappy stick had five settings, and Mom never used it higher than the second notch before." Eren stopped talking, spasms developing in his hands while he took several deep breaths.

"She turned it to the highest notch and pressed it against— against me. And— and she wouldn't take it off— Dad heard me screaming when he came home for lunch. I'd never seen him hit my mother before that day…"

"How long did she keep it against you?"

"I don't know. I never found out. Dad didn't like to talk about stuff like that. He took over my lessons and tried to stay home more often. Mikasa was living with us after that too, and he'd only go to work after she was home from school."

"Did she do things like that often?"

"Yeah. She had a box of things to use. I've experienced them all."

"Eren, look at me." Eren raised his head from the table, a red splotch on his forehead from where it had been pressing into the metal marred his flushed skin, matching his puffy red eyes and damp cheeks. "You will never be subjected to any form of torture here. You are safe now. What Carla did to you was not right, and you did nothing to deserve it. Do you understand?"

"I guess."

"No, there's no guessing. No matter how annoyed I get with you, or how frustrated you make us, even if you do it deliberately, you will never be hurt in that manner. I am aware that I'm not the greatest example of self control," at this, Eren snorted, and Levi shrugged in agreement, "but I will never hurt you."

"I still loved her," Eren admitted. "Even after everything she did to me, I loved her."

"I can't tell you if that's wrong or right," Levi said. "I don't know what she was like. I have no place to judge your feelings for your mother. My own feelings for her have nothing to do with yours. She's your mother; you're allowed to love her."

Eren nodded, wiping at his face with the cuff of his sleeve. Levi grimaced, before picking up his pen again.

"Now, let's see if we can finish five of these questions and call it a morning," he said, and the interview proceeded, though Eren's words still twisted inside his head, a bitter taste coating his tongue.

_How could she justify doing that to her own child?_

* * *

Jean found Armin in one of the back corridors again, but Marco was nowhere to be seen. He heard Armin before he saw him, and was drawn to the source by following the sounds of crying. Armin was a fucking mess. His hair was disheveled, his face red and splotchy as he sobbed. There was a pile of vomit that was beginning to hit Jean's nose with its vile scent, and some of it was splattered on Armin's normally immaculate uniform.

"Dude, what happened?" Jean asked, kneeling by Armin's crumpled form and pressing a hand against his forehead. Armin shook his head side to side violently, opening his mouth to say something but retching instead. Some of it hit Jean's legs but he ignored it easily enough, circumstances being what they were. He was more concerned with the normally cold, composed soldier having a complete meltdown in the storage room.

"I— I've been recording the interrogations with Hanji. Training, you know? And today—" Armin broke off, keening, grasping his hair and curling up into a ball.

"Don't talk about it if you're not ready to yet," Jean insisted, grabbing Armin's wrists and gently untangling his fingers from their death grips. "If it hurts you this much to think about it, then don't."

"It's not that fucking easy, shit stain!" Armin snapped, and Jean raised his eyebrows in shock. Armin wasn't one to swear, let alone be reduced to name-calling. "I have a fucking photographic memory! I  _can't_  forget!"

"I didn't say to forget about it," Jean corrected. "I said not to think about it. Think about something else very, very hard. You're a genius, right? Shouldn't you know some random trivia shit or facts that we simple-minded peons don't? Like, name the capitals of every country and the top five rock bands from each one, or something like that. Use that ginormous brain of yours and figure out who changed the hot and cold settings in the locker room, because if you can do that for me I have a few teeth to knock out for my unwarranted cold shower this morning. Recite every fucking piece of poetry you know. Focus on something else besides whatever's making you upset enough to puke."

Armin nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before wrinkling his nose.

"Let's get this cleaned up," he muttered, and Jean shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get someone on it," Jean assured, and Armin opened his eyes to give Jean a dirty look.

"That's abuse of seniority, to use the new recruits like that."

"See, you're a genius if you figured out what I was planning. So, shower culprit?"

"That was me. I was bored and awake three hours early. It's not that hard, really," Armin admitted, and Jean snorted, shaking his head.

"You're the last person I'd have suspected to be the mastermind behind that… Though, then again, you're the only one smart enough on this base to plan it and then get away with it  _because_  you're the last person someone'd suspect."

Armin sniffled, then giggled, then outright started laughing. He clutched his waist, curling into himself as he continued to laugh.

"I'm not that funny, am I?" Jean muttered, and Armin shook his head, still laughing.

"No, thank you. I… I wasn't doing that good. Thanks, for being yourself, I guess."

Jean blushed, looking down at his stained knees. Okay, he could forgive Marco for rejecting him if this was the side of Armin he fell for.

"No problem. Now, let's get you back to the dorms and I'll get Tony out here to clean this up. The snot owes me several favours, anyway. He can deal with a bit of puke."

* * *

Eren pressed his head into the crook of his arm, his eyes aching from all of the crying he'd done earlier. He hated crying, especially since the only times he could ever do it was when he was thinking of his mom. Nothing else could bring him to tears like the memory of her.

The overhead light was still on, but with the mattress above him and the blankets surrounding him, the cocoon he made under the bed was nice and dark, which helped with the headache he had after today's session. He had never talked about that kind of stuff before, and the knowledge now that it was what Mom had wanted, for him to stay silent, was terrifying. How had he missed that? How had he not seen what was happening?

How could he have not even thought twice about it?

His chest felt heavy, like steel bands of anxiety had wrapped around him the more he had revealed, tightening with every word he'd let fall from his lips. He felt sick, jumpy, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It  _had_  to, after saying all that he had. Something bad  _always_  happened when he said things that he shouldn't.

He had shown Armin's dad the gun Mom had given him for his fourth birthday, and then Armin's parents died in a car accident.

Mikasa's parents had been killed when Dad found out what Mom was teaching him.

He told the man on the phone things that Mom and Dad had taught him, and then his mom killed everyone.

So, what would happen now? He had told Levi things he hadn't meant to. He had taken the man's advice to heart and ignored that fear, ignored the bands constricting around his chest and throat as he spilled secret after secret, ignored the ominous shadow that grew denser the more he revealed. But now there was only his fears left with him. The guards were outside, but they couldn't protect Eren from the things within his own head. They couldn't prevent whatever disaster awaited, whatever would come now because he had  _told_.

Why had he said anything?

"Oi, get your ass out from under the bed and get dressed."

Eren sniffed, burrowing deeper into his blankets and mumbling, "Leave me 'lone, Levi."

"No. We're going out, so get dressed. Something you can move easily in," Levi clarified, and Eren, despite everything, felt his curiousity rise.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere if you don't get moving," Levi snapped, and Eren smiled, wriggling out from his safe spot and letting the blanket fall around his waist. He wasn't dressed, but he had showered naked in front of Levi enough times to not be shy now about his current state of nudity. He pulled on a pair of tight sweats and a plain tee, and then looked expectantly at Levi.

"Come on."


	15. Sleep Talking

The last place Eren had thought he'd be taken to was a gym. Levi led him down a twisting path of hallways before reaching a set of double doors and pushing one of them open. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the large room, and Levi moved towards a single door set off to the side of the large court.

"This is the main training room. The floors are made to absorb impact without causing too much damage to the individual who's hitting it." Levi opened the door, revealing a closet filled with equipment. He pulled out a couple of mouth guards and a roll of tape.

"Do you know how to wrap your knuckles?" Levi asked, and Eren nodded. He had helped Mikasa with it when she'd been in mixed martial arts, and he looked at Levi anxiously as the man started wrapping his own hands up.

"Are you sure this is safe? I… I wasn't taught restraint."

"That's fine."

"No, it's not! I don't want to kill you!"

"I won't let you. But I need to see what you know, and you need to blow off some steam. We covered some heavy shit today, and this is the best way for you to unwind without giving you access to a gun."

"Do you not get it? I'm  _lethal_ , Levi! There's no friendly fighting for me! My techniques are meant to debilitate!"

"You showed restraint against my subordinates before, Eren."

"Because I wasn't fighting them! I was—"

"Look, kid," Levi said, reaching out and grabbing Eren's hands and starting to wrap them. "Go ahead and aim to kill. I've been in life-threatening combat situations before. I know how to defend myself. I won't let you kill me."

"I don't trust myself enough," Eren said. "What if something went wrong and I  _did_  kill you?"

"Would you feel more comfortable if I got someone to supervise? Then, if anything happened, they could intervene." Levi's suggestion made a few of the bands inside Eren's chest loosen, and he nodded, eyes still fixated on the hands wrapping his wrist. Levi pulled a cell phone out of his jacket, hitting a few numbers before holding it up to his ear. He kept it in place with one shoulder as he switched hands, starting to wrap Eren's other one.

"Come down to the main sparring room. I did, but Eren feels otherwise. You can bring your lunch, I don't care, just don't make a fucking mess. No, it's not a spectator event. He wants someone who can intervene. I did. Obviously." Eren couldn't hear what was being said on the other side of the phone, but then Levi lifted his shoulder, a hand rising up to grab the cell before it fell and ending the call. He set it down on the bench before resuming the task of finishing the wrap.

"Erd and Gunther will be here. They're—"

"The morning guards. They're nice," Eren said quietly, biting his lip. "I'm sorry if it's inconvenient. I…"

"Don't apologize. If having a third party makes you more comfortable, then that's what you'll have. I don't want you more agitated by this. It's supposed to relieve tension. Now, start stretching and we'll begin when they get their lazy asses down here."

Eren moved through the familiar routine, one he kept up in his own room every morning and evening out of habit. He moved from one stretch to the next, letting his mind clear as he felt his muscles relax and loosen up. He barely acknowledged the door opening again, the sound of three sets of feet moving across the padded floor. When he finished, he bounced a little on his feet, testing the springiness of the floor, feeling the shifting of the foam and springs and testing his balance.

He turned to see Erd, Gunther, and Petra sitting on the bench, trays of food on their laps. Erd and Gunther gave Eren nods of acknowledgement, and he gave them both grateful looks in response. He felt safer letting himself go, letting himself sink into that chaotic blank state that came with combat, if there were people around that he felt could stop him if he got out of control. Eren trusted Levi's strength, but he was going to be consciously aiming attacks at the man and he still felt too on-edge to let the man handle it on his own. The ominous feeling that still clung to Eren, the feeling that something bad was going to happen, did nothing to help either, and having extra soldiers on hand to stop Eren in case the worst should happen was appreciated.

"Well, let's get started, then. Feel free to take the first move."

"Rules?"

"None, really. I want to know what you're capable of. I don't have any weapons on me, either, so we're on equal ground with that. Just use your body, and that's all you need. Don't hold back, Eren."

He didn't. He launched himself at Levi, a bold and reckless movement to get a feel for Levi's abilities. It was a trick he'd learned from Grisha; know your enemy, and exploit their weaknesses. Levi had very few of them, and the ones he did have, he protected well. His short stature was distributed unevenly, his torso shorter than normal compared to the length of his legs. This didn't help the reach of his arms, and his muscles distorted his dimensions even more. But the corporal was fast,  _very_  fast, and his height aided him in that, despite his solid build. He also tended to favour his left side more than his right, but his right side was still strong and capable, which made his left side even more dangerous. The few weak spots Eren found were hardly worth labeling as such.

When he finished taunting and teasing Levi, having gathered all of the relevant information he needed, Eren started moving more smoothly, his actions turning from brash and bold to pointed and deadly. Every move was made to cripple, to debilitate, to eliminate. Levi moved, blocked, and twisted out of each attempt, their bodies pressing together and pushing away repeatedly. Hands, feet, heads, elbows, teeth, and nails grazed skin, marks appearing on both of their bodies as the fight went on. He could hear every breath Levi took, could feel the shift of weight beneath him as Levi moved, and he fought with everything that he had.

Levi was good to his word. No matter what Eren came at him with, he had a way to deflect it, to change it from lethal to painful-but-okay. His guard and offense were fluid, his stance slipping from one to the other and back without giving Eren a chance to attack in between.

Too often, Eren would find himself pinned on his back, Levi's hand on his throat. That would have counted as a point, if Eren didn't move to throw him off each time. The first time Levi had pinned him, Levi had moved to stand back up but instead he'd received Eren's elbow to the side of his temple. Levi had not made that mistake again. The fight wouldn't be over until one of them was dead.

Except, when the chance came, Eren didn't take it. They'd been going at it for god knows how long, their bodies growing tired and the collection of bruises and injuries rising by the minute. He finally got a good blow at Levi's leg, the one he had put a bullet through months ago, and when Levi dropped down his arms weren't able to respond fast enough to block the incoming follow-up strike. Eren's hand came to rest against Levi's throat, fingers feeling the man's rapid intake of air, the heavily beating pulse, the slippery sweat that had built up over the battle. Eren felt all of those things, but he didn't feel the need to push inward, to punch through and kill.

This was  _Levi_. He couldn't kill him. That was a bad thing. Levi's eyes were locked with Eren's, the normally dominating pupils a mere pinprick in the grey irises surrounding them, and Eren could see the flecks of blue that were usually hidden from sight.

"You didn't take it," Levi said quietly, and Eren felt the vibrations of his words through his hand still resting on the man's throat. "You could have, but you didn't."

"I… I can't…"

"You can. You just haven't learned to trust yourself. Stand down." Eren automatically let go, his hand dropping back down to his side. Levi pushed himself to his feet, rubbing at the old injury Eren had taken advantage of, and then looked down at where Eren was still kneeling, arms hanging limply at his sides.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Go with Erd and Gunther and get a change of clothes, and then I'll retrieve you for a shower."

* * *

December came in a fury of snow and cold, the weeks blending together. Mikasa felt better than she had in years, her body gaining back density and muscle as she continued to take her pills and eat regularly. Some days were harder, where the food looked disgusting and she didn't want to touch it, but those days were getting less common, and she could feel the difference.

She also felt her relationship with Eren changing. Where before she felt at odds with him over every little thing, they were finding a balance together again, like when they were kids. She was calmer with him, more patient as she helped him come to terms with the changes in his perception. It was a burden off of her too, not having to be both his guardian and his conscience. Levi, Petra, Armin, and others were here for that now, and she could just be his sister again. She wasn't the only one responsible if Eren did something that he shouldn't anymore, and it hadn't occurred to her before how much of a burden that was until it was no longer her concern.

They rarely had days where they were interviewed separately anymore either. Sometimes she asked for private sessions with Levi, for things that she didn't think Eren was ready to listen to - most concerning her interactions with Carla or Grisha - and there were days that she waited in her room, Eren having requested the same thing. It didn't hurt her as much as she'd thought it would; she understood now more about privacy, how it wasn't Eren keeping things from her to hurt her. She had been hurt before when he kept so much from her, but talking with Petra about it had shown her that sometimes people want to keep things to themselves and not be an open book. She could appreciate that; Eren didn't need to know every detail going on with her body, after all. Or, she amended, he didn't need to know now, since he also wasn't burdened with trying to keep her alive on his own. It was a work in progress, as they both still had a lot to learn.

She was reading 'A Tale of Two Cities' when she heard the lock sliding in her door, and had the book marked and closed by her side as it swung open, revealing both Levi and Petra. They weren't dressed in their normal uniforms, Levi wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and blue jeans, and Petra wearing a festive holiday sweater and a pair of thick leggings.

"Pack your things together, you're being moved to new quarters," Levi said, and Petra gave a big smile behind his back and a thumbs up.

"Are we going home?" she asked, and Levi shook his head.

"For the time being, it's safest to keep you here. There's still a lot we can learn from you, and you're both minors. But as you have proven to not be a threat to this country, there is no longer a need to keep you under lock and guard around the clock. New rooms have been set aside for both you and your brother, and with them come new rules you will be asked to comply with."

Mikasa piled her possessions onto the blanket, pulling the edges together and wrapping them up so that they were easier to carry. When she was done, she looked up at them expectantly, and Levi jerked his head to indicate that she should follow them. She did, her heart beating in excitement. The new room wasn't much to look at, similar to her old room, but there was more furniture in this one. There was also a door handle on the inside, though no way to lock the door itself. The bed had a real mattress on it, the frame made of wood instead of metal, and there was an end table and dresser in the room, along with a bookshelf and table. There was no sink along the wall, and no toilet in the corner, and she set her belongings down on the bed and turned to face Levi.

"There is a bathroom across the hallway that you will be sharing with your brother. You two can work out a schedule between yourselves to share it. You are still expected to shower daily and keep yourself presentable. You will also be given a basket to place your laundry in, and cleaning staff will retrieve it weekly."

"Thank you," she said, her voice wavering slightly. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking down at the ground. Her hair slid in front of her face, blocking her tears from the sight of the adults. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she could see Levi's boots through her fringe.

"You've earned it. There is nothing to thank me for."

* * *

Armin sat in Eren's room, a blank tablet in front of him as he watched Mikasa and Eren putting the younger boy's things away. Their excitement was visible, and he could only imagine their relief at having some more freedom, some more control over their environment. They probably didn't consider how much of a relief it was to the soldiers too, especially the ones who'd been assigned to be on guard duty for both of their rooms. The teenagers moving to new rooms freed up three shifts of guard duty, giving them twelve soldiers more than they'd had for the last five months.

He'd been pulled aside by Levi on his way down and given a brief overview of the changes that would accompany their lengthened leash. They'd still be monitored, still be supervised, but it would be the soldiers' responsibilities to keep them safe while they were moving around the base. He knew that there'd be regular patrols down here, and at least two guards at night to make sure that no grudge holders would make a midnight visit to either sibling.

"Do you think we'll be able to get more things?" he heard Eren asking, folding his clothes to put into the dresser. It wasn't a large dresser, wide with two drawers, but there weren't many outfits to place within the space and had plenty of room for more clothes. "Like books, or a game, or just something to do?"

"It's a possibility," Armin answered, tapping the screen with his stylus to turn it back on. The drawing program he had opened showed a mess of scribbles and doodles, as he had been unable to focus long enough to get anything resembling art to appear. "I'm not going to promise anything, but if I can get approval from Corporal Levi, I'll be more than willing to grab things for you while I'm off base."

"We don't have money, Eren," Mikasa reminded her brother, and he watched as Eren wilted, his happy mood draining away. Armin smiled, shaking his head.

"I do, though, and well, you're under our care technically. As long as it's not too extravagant, I can afford to foot the bill. No Playstations or flat screen TVs, though. My budget can't handle that," he assured with a teasing smile. Mikasa returned it, and Eren's face brightened once again. There had been concerns expressed over Eren's stability, Hanji having asked him to keep a close eye on Eren as they looked more into his history and past experiences. Armin understood her concern, as he'd been sitting on the other side of the one-way mirror during their interrogations, taking notes and listening as more and more was revealed about life in the Jaeger house. He hadn't gotten as violently ill as he had that first time, but some of the information coming to light was more than disturbing. Having to listen as Levi dissected this information, breaking it down and trying to get Eren to understand why it wasn't safe, or a good thing to do, was hard on everyone involved.

The more that Eren revealed, the more unstable his moods became. He was prone to acting in fits of anger, throwing things and screaming, only to suddenly grow calm and complacent again. He knew that Levi took Eren down to the training room to try and work through a lot of that anger, and he wondered how much worse it would be if the corporal hadn't thought of doing that. Armin himself had taken Mikasa there a few times during his downtime, letting her gain some more space to exercise and burn away her own anger. She preferred boxing and weight-lifting compared to the more brawling style her brother took on, and Amrin would often spot for her as she worked through her own emotions on the weight machines.

"If he's okay with it," Eren said, drawing Armin away from his musings, "could I get a journal? I think… It'd be easier to write some of the things down than talk about them. Oh! Could I get some drawing pencils too?"

"I'd like another pillow," Mikasa added, her voice quieter than normal. She was looking down at her feet, her hands nervously playing with the cuff of her sleeve. "I don't sleep well unless I'm holding something, and since I can't share a room with Eren…"

Armin nodded, understanding. They'd spent five years alone, with only each other to rely on. Their apartment had only contained a single bedroom, and had shown signs of both of them living in it together. Whether they were sexually involved had been discussed but never confirmed, and it wasn't something he felt comfortable asking the pair. But if Mikasa was having trouble sleeping because she didn't have anything to hold onto, he wondered how many years she'd spent holding Eren throughout the night. He had heard from the reports that both suffered nightmares, Eren's more vocal and physically taxing than Mikasa's, but still enough to leave them both looking perpetually exhausted and in need of a few nights of uninterrupted sleep.

"I'll ask as soon as I can, but I don't see why it should be a problem. As for you, Mikasa, I'm sure I could find another pillow lying around that's not being used. I can get it for you tonight before bed time."

She gave him a grateful smile, and Eren's brightened. "Can I have another blanket? It gets cold as fuck down here."

"I don't get how you can be cold. You're always running a higher temperature than normal," Mikasa teased her brother.

"Which is why I don't get how you're not fucking freezing your ass off," Eren shot back with a grin. "If  _I'm_  cold, how the fuck are you not?"

"Language, Eren," she scolded, smacking him with the book in her hand. He whined, cowering, but the grin didn't leave his face.

Armin smiled, content, as he opened a new file and started drawing. He wondered when his anger had vanished, when he had stopped putting all of his blame on these two for what had happened  _That Time,_ and decided he liked not being angry all of the time. It was tiring, and he hadn't felt this calm or at peace in years.

* * *

"Eventually, we'll have to let them go," Levi said, leaning back in his chair. Erwin was looking at the folder he had been handed, flipping through the papers, and Hanji frowned.

"But there's still so much to learn from them!"

"Which is why I said 'eventually.' Though, I'm not too comfortable with the idea of letting both of them loose in the world the way they are right now," Levi added, and Petra nodded absently in agreement, her own focus on a different folder. The neon blue gave away that it was one of Hanji's, and Mike was reading from a fluorescent green file folder as well. Was he the only one who used plain cream folders anymore?

"I'm more concerned with letting Eren Jaeger loose," Erwin stated, closing his folder. "Is the boy even capable of taking care of himself? He poses a danger to himself and others, even if he doesn't intend to. He's already confessed to at least three murders at the age of nine, and who knows how many more there might be throughout the course of his childhood. He doesn't understand sympathy or remorse, despite understanding the concepts of them."

"If what is written here is accurate," Mike said, and all attention shifted to the head of security. Mike rarely spoke during meetings, preferring to listen and absorb information to relay later to his team and adjust security measures. It did, Levi mused, make him wonder what it was that Mike felt compelled enough to say to break this routine, and no one dared ignore whatever he had felt was important enough to add to the table. "He will never be fit to live in the general population. There are too many triggers, too much potential for Eren Jaeger to react violently. Mikasa Ackerman is more stable, more promising to fully adjust, but Jaeger isn't. He lacks a conscience."

"So, what would you suggest then?" Levi asked, standing up. He was agitated, though he didn't know why. That would take too much thought at the moment, and he didn't have the time to sit and consider things. He'd think about it later, when he wasn't in the middle of trying to defend two children's freedom. "Keep them under lock and key for the rest of their days?"

"No," Mike agreed, "that's unreasonable. But Jaeger will need a caretaker, an external conscience to keep him in line."

"What about before? They lived five years without one. Why can't they both manage after?" Petra pointed out, and Moblit answered that one, setting his own paisley blue folder down on the table.

"Eren did have a conscience for those five years: Mikasa. He also didn't get to interact with the general public, having to stay hidden as she interacted with people in order to garner information. It's unreasonable to send both of them out with the expectation that Mikasa will be able to continue that role. Eren Jaeger has given enough evidence to clear his name of any involvement with a terrorist group, but he poses a threat regardless. Mikasa is a capable young woman with a promising future. She's going to eventually want to have a life apart from Eren, which will involve other people. She'll have the urge to make friends, possibly find a lover, get married, and have children. She deserves to be able to have her own life. She's spent enough of her childhood being an adult."

"So, you're suggesting a handler for Jaeger, then?"

"That would be the best solution," Mike agreed. "No matter how much progress we make here, this is an isolated environment, a  _controlled_ environment. A professional trained to handle cases like Jaeger would prevent any major disasters if he were to rejoin society at a later time. Someone who could handle him at his worst, and be able to reason with him in order to prevent him from reaching a point where he does end up being a real threat. Someone who," Mike added, looking at Levi, "would take over your role."

"My role?" Levi asked, his brows furrowing. Petra smiled at him, and he frowned harder.

"He respects you, if you haven't figured that out yet. He listens to you as much as he listens to his sister, and well, that's a huge step for him. You offer a sense of stability, and your reactions are consistent and predictable for him now. When he's released, he'll need someone who can provide the same thing for him out there, who will be that guardian figure and sense of stability that he needs."

Levi sighed, sitting back down. "With that aside, we need to start planning for the inevitable release of them. Mikasa will be turning eighteen soon, and as she isn't involved with any terrorist groups, or has been trained to participate in terrorist groups like Eren, we have no grounds to keep her detained. She might choose to stay, but if she demands to leave, we can't stop her."

"She has no resources to survive on her own, though," Hanji pointed out. "Her records are sketchy at best, and she won't get to finish high school because she's been with us. We could arrange for an equivalency test and get her a GED, but that still doesn't help if she wants to go to college or get a job."

"She's a ward of the government," Erwin said. "There are ways that she can be provided with basic amenities as she gets herself established in her new life. Having a handler for her as well, who can help her adjust to being amongst general society again, would also be beneficial. She's going to have a hard time adjusting to the mentality of freedom and safety, and there will be a crisis period following that. As far as records go, hers are more complete than Eren's. She had an identity before, and now that we're aware that her parents are deceased, we can have copies of her records released to us for her use."

"I will discuss this with her and see what she wants to do. Once I have more information, we'll discuss this again, but for now I wanted to bring it to your attention as this will soon become an issue to deal with. For Eren, we will discuss long-term plans in more depth at a later time. Mike, would you be able to look into potential handlers that have the training to be able to care for him? If this is the route we're taking, Eren will need time to build up trust with them."

"Understood," Mike said, and Levi ran a hand through his bangs.

"I need a vacation," he muttered, and Hanji laughed.

"Don't we all? Call in an early night and go get smashed. There's enough people here to keep an eye on things for you."

"All of you call it an early night," Erwin said. "You've been doing a tremendous amount of work in a limited time frame, and have earned a break. I don't want to see you on active duty for three days, or I'll kick you off the base and not let security allow you back in until I deem you rested enough."

They all gave a salute and packed up, Levi unable to keep his mind off of the new problem he had to come to terms with. How would Eren take the news that he'd never be free of the system?


	16. Sleep Walking

Eren scratched at the band around his ankle, the heavy weight of the tracker a distraction he couldn't fully block out. The fact that they were being allowed to leave the base was amazing, but it was tempered with the reality that he still wasn't truly free. No, they were only allowed to go out after a long lecture from Levi, explaining the rules and consequences if they were to abuse this opportunity. The tracking device was to deter them from any potential escape plan, as well as to broadcast to the public that the two of them weren't as innocent as they appeared.

But Mikasa looked thrilled to be outdoors, and Eren wasn't going to ruin her happiness by complaining that they weren't really being allowed anything special. Armin sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window pensively, as Levi drove them to a shopping center within the town limits.

"I used to work here," Mikasa said as they pulled into the parking lot. "At the cafe inside."

"You say that like it's a fond memory," Eren snorted. "Yet I'm the one you came home to every night to complain about how everyone was stupid and that you hated them all."

"Well, I wouldn't say I loved working there," Mikasa snorted. "But I miss it."

_I miss the freedom_ , Eren translated, and slid his hand into hers, squeezing.

"Even the customers who pissed you off?"

"Even them. I'd mess up their drinks on purpose if I could now, just to hear them cry about it."

"Enough reminiscing, we have a time constraint," Levi interrupted, parking the vehicle and turning the engine off. "If you have any questions, ask them now, because I'm not going over this all again. Clothes first, then entertainment. No extravagant requests, but find things that will keep you busy and entertained. If you aren't sure, ask."

"Yes, sir," Eren said, and Mikasa nodded as well. Armin opened the back door and the two teens climbed out, Eren doing his best to hide the bulky ankle bracelet with his pants.

When was the last time he'd been around this many people? The stores were packed, with at least four or five customers inside at any one time, and Eren felt on edge and twitchy, wondering why this had sounded like a great idea earlier. He'd just wanted to be out of that damn building, out of his room and somewhere that wasn't  _there_ , but now he regretted it. How had Mikasa been able to do this every day? There were just too many people to keep an eye on. Eren didn't realize he'd begun to shake until Levi pulled him into a dressing room, sitting him down on the plastic chair and taking his face in two chilly palms.

"Breathe, slowly, in and out," he ordered, and Eren nodded, struggling to comply. How had he not noticed before that he was panicking? His lack of awareness was terrifying. Levi pressed his hands harder against Eren's face.

"Stop thinking about it. Focus on your breathing. Breathe in, count to five, hold." Eren did, and when he felt his chest burning, Levi continued. "Exhale, count to five, hold." Levi kept his tone low, even, and Eren latched onto that steadiness, that calm, and soon his breathing was back to normal, his shaking less severe, and his mind less chaotic.

"What happened? Explain."

"Just… too many people? I can't keep an eye on everyone at the same time. How am I supposed to watch them all if there's so many people?!"

"Have you ever been around this many people before?" Levi asked, and Eren shook his head.

"No, Mom's parties were the most people I've ever seen in one place before… Is this normal or something? To have a lot of people packed together like this?"

"Depends where you are. Some places have less people, some have more. Schools, shopping centers, malls, places like that, they have a lot of people in one area. You don't need to keep an eye on everyone. That's why we're all here. You're not going to be attacked."

"I can't help it!" Eren hissed, hands twisting into his hair and pulling sharply in his agitation. "I  _have_  to."

"Because of your training."

Eren nodded, shame flooding him. Levi sighed, leaning against the wall of the small stall.

"We'll talk more about it when we get back. But for now, do you feel up to finishing this today? You won't be in trouble for saying no. We can come back at a later time and get more things."

"It hasn't even been twenty minutes," Eren pointed out, "and it's not fair to Mikasa."

"Armin can keep an eye on her if you want to go sit outside instead. We don't have to leave yet, but you don't have to remain in here if it's causing you this much stress."

"…Okay."

They leaned against the wall outside, on the side that served as the loading area for the businesses inside. There were a lot less people who passed by here, and the difference was enough for Eren to fully relax and calm down. He had never considered how many people there really were in the world before; he had thought Mom's parties she would host were overly-packed. This was on a whole other level, and it was terrifying.

He'd have to live in this world one day, and while he had spent five years on the run with Mikasa, it was wholly different to think of immersing himself in the world, without hiding. He'd been isolated from people during those five years, and Eren had never realized the extent of what it would mean to be free. Every time it had been mentioned how his training might pose a danger, how his childhood had been irregular, how he needed to be retrained so he was longer a threat, to help root out the Cell his parents had been involved with… He hadn't understood the full scale of what that meant. He'd been thinking that it was an exaggeration, because at worst he'd hurt a few people and that'd be it. This, though. This was more than a few people. This was a few dozen, possibly a few  _hundred_ , and that made a heavy ball of dread form in his chest, slowly spreading through his mind as he recalled what Levi had said in the changing room.

There were a lot of places where people gathered. Places where, if he wanted to have a real life one day, he'd have to share space with others. If he lost control, or did something stupid, he'd be putting too many lives at risk. He'd be as much of a monster as his parents had been. He understood now why everyone was so concerned, why they kept such close tabs on him, why they spent so much time trying to understand what was going on inside his head.

"You look like you need to take a shit," Levi said, and Eren blinked, startled, and looked over at the older man. His eyes were calm and steady, and Eren let out a slow breath, shrugging.

"I guess… things are coming into perspective. I never… I hadn't thought before about how many people really existed in the world."

"Do you understand now why we're so desperate to get answers?"

"Yeah," Eren said, swallowing. "Yeah," he repeated. "I do now. I didn't before, but now I do."

Levi patted his shoulder, and they stood there in companionable silence until Levi's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, looking at the message on the display before pocketing it again and pushing away from the wall.

"They're done. We're meeting them at the car."

"Levi?" Eren asked, and the man looked back at him over his shoulder.

"Thanks. For, well, doing this. All of this."

"You're welcome, brat."

* * *

The drive back was pleasant, Mikasa telling Eren about the rest of the shopping trip. She had picked out some essentials for Eren, knowing more about his tastes than Eren himself knew. She had always done the shopping for them, and as Eren couldn't go to the store with her before, she had developed his style herself.

"I'm looking forward to wearing a bra again," Mikasa told her brother, and Armin coughed in the front seat, his cheeks flushing. Levi seemed nonplussed, though he did seem to avoid making eye contact with the two teens in the back, intently focused on the road. Eren, used to this kind of talk from her, just nodded. "I mean, it's been since July, and it's almost a new year now. I didn't know if I could have an underwire one, I forgot to ask, and well, Armin didn't know, so I picked out regular sports bras, just in case."

"I'll talk with security about it," Levi said, and Mikasa nodded, flashing him a smile. Eren's gaze softened, and he pushed her bangs behind her ear, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

"You look pretty when you smile," he told her. Armin seemed to be having a coughing fit in the front, and Eren's hand dropped, the smile vanishing. Mikasa glared at the blond, who was looking between them suspiciously.

"What, doesn't she? She's looking healthy and happy now, and she has a pretty smile," Eren snapped, his hand sliding into hers and tightening. She squeezed back, and caught Levi's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Are you two sexually involved?" he asked her, and Eren's hand tightened in hers. She could see him getting ready to defend her, though from what, she didn't know. Levi clearly hadn't been asking to be crude, but Eren didn't know the difference. She spoke before he could lose his temper.

"I have been, but not with Eren." Armin shifted uncomfortably at her answer.

"Then, why are you two so…?" he started to ask.

"What do you mean? Why are you even asking us this?" Eren said, the anger clear in his voice. Levi spoke up again then, not bothering to hide his agitation.

"You two are very intimate, and with both of your rooms remaining unlocked at night it has been brought up as a concern."

"We're not having sex. Not with each other, anyway."

"So, no surprises nine month down the line?"

"If you're worried, put me on the pill. I don't care," Mikasa replied blandly.

"I'll talk to medical about it," Levi assured, and she snorted wryly.

"I'm infertile anyway."

"Yeah. I thought you would have realized that, considering she hasn't asked for pads or tampons the entire time she's been here," Eren added. Armin turned around in his seat, incredulous.

"How would you even  _know_  that?!"

"I lived with her for eight years,  _Streber._ I'm pretty familiar with what is and isn't happening in the bathroom."

"Did you know when she was having sex with other people, too?" he asked, and Eren nodded.

"Yeah, of course. If she was going to stay out later, she'd let me know so that I didn't try to track her down. Sometimes, I pretended I wasn't home so that she could bring someone back to the apartment, which was safer for both of us. Why, don't you guys keep track of your own people?"

"There are approximately fifty-three female personnel registered as working in our branch, and I can assure you that I don't know any of their menstrual cycles or sexual exploits," Armin said, and Eren just waved him off.

"Well, I'm sure Petra would appreciate it if you left her a large cup of hot chocolate on her desk next Tuesday. Her third day is the worst, and she likes hot chocolates. Oh, and salted cashews. Make sure they're cashews, not peanuts, she doesn't like peanuts—"

"Eren," Levi warned, and he bit his lip.

"It's habit, okay? I keep track of things like this. I always have. And it's hard  _not_  to notice. Like, if Erd goes without sex too long, he tends to get fidgety, and if it's longer than two weeks, he gets downright cranky. I try not to be too much of a shit during those times. He broke up with his most recent girlfriend last week, so I'd watch out for that. He prefers hot apple cider over anything else."

"And you?" Armin asked, an irritated look on his face. Mikasa wondered if Armin was trying to embarrass her brother, but Eren didn't understand tact or being shy about topics like this one.

"I'm a fifteen year old teenage boy in the middle of puberty,  _Streber_. I have sexual dreams; my body's still changing, it happens. But I don't really care much for sex, or masturbating. It's too much effort to keep a regular schedule. Honestly, I don't understand how people can want to have sex so often. It's not all it's made out to be in books and movies."

"Don't you find people attractive? You said Mikasa'spretty, so do you find other people pretty?" Armin asked, and Levi gave a huff.

"Okay, enough about this. How is any of this relevant?"

"It's not," Eren agreed. "I don't understand why you're so fascinated with it."

"I just don't understand how you could be so aware of everyone else's sex life, yet not want one of your own!"

"Because  _I_  find it fascinating that people even want one! That it affects them so much, when all it does is leave you feeling drained and cranky after!"

"It's normal, Eren," Mikasa said, cutting a hand through the air to halt whatever Armin was going to say. She looked between them all, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Some people have a low or nonexistent sex drive. You happen to be one of those that lack one. It happens." Armin's embarrassment faded, and he looked curious. Levi just rolled his eyes, and she assumed he was ignoring them all again.

"There are people who have a consistent or heightened sex drive, and it affects their mood and behaviour if they don't have sex often enough. Erd sounds like one of those people. It's, as you said, down to hormones."

"Would you say yours is normal?" Eren asked, and Mikasa shrugged.

"It's average. I don't need sex to function, though I enjoy it well enough. Some people can ignore it better than others, while there are some who are controlled by it. That's where you tend to find your rapists and molesters, more often than not. Think of it like needing food, water, shelter, social contact, mental stimuli, and other things like that. Some people need more of one of those than others, while some need others less than the general population."

"Thanks for the health lesson. Now, can we drop the subject?" Levi muttered, and she smiled brightly. Eren returned it, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, content. When was the last time she felt this happy?

* * *

"Someone else can take them next time. I refuse to ride in a car with them ever again," Levi snapped, slamming his office door closed in ire. Hanji looked up from his monitor, amusement on her face.

"What, going to the mall with teenagers is too stressful for you, old man?"

"The shopping part wasn't the problem. It was their fucking topics of conversation. I had to spend half that trip listening to Eren and Armin argue over who's sexually active at the base and when, and that's the mild topics!"

"Really? What did he have to say?"

"Too much," Levi muttered, running a hand down his face tiredly. "His ability to observe people, even with minimal interaction, is disturbing. He had Petra's menstrual cycle pinned down to the day, as well as keeping track of Erd's sex life."

"Interesting," Hanji murmured, her large, brown eyes widening behind her glasses. "What else?"

"Really, Hanji?" Levi groaned, dropping into one of the extra chairs in front ofhis desk. "Well, he's not sexually involved with Ackerman, so that's one thing we don't have to worry about. Apparently, Ackerman herself doesn't have periods—"

"We knew that. We talked about it with her during her first month here," Hanji interjected, and Levi waved his hand dismissively.

"—Ackerman is sexually active, and Eren keeps track of that as well."

"What about Eren? What did he do, since he was hiding all that time?"

"Apparently, the kid lacks a sex drive of any kind. I believe Private Arlert was trying to get under the boy's skin, but Eren admitted that while he experiences sexual dreams and hormonal changes, he doesn't enjoy sex. Fuck, the kid finds jerking off to be a chore."

"Wonder if he'll remain asexual," Hanji mused, and Levi just stared at her blankly. "Oh, come on, we've talked about this before! It's not just a breeding classification, it's can also be a lack of sexual arousal or attraction. It might change as he gets older and experiences more of the world outside of his little sphere of influence, but if it doesn't, the chances of him never looking for a partner, or even wanting to have casual sex, will be rather high."

"I didn't need to know that," Levi muttered.

"Why not? It's perfectly healthy and normal."

"It's also irrelevant to the investigation," Levi noted, and Hanji sniffed.

"Anything involving Eren Jaeger is relevant."

"I give up. Fine, go fucking interrogate him about his lack of urge to get laid. I don't give a shit. Just don't involve me."

"I can't, remember? He's not going to just tell me shit like that," she said, laughing.

"Why the fuck do you think he'll answer me, then?"

"Because he respects you. He already did talk to you about it, anyway. Isn't that why you're bitching to me right now?"

"Shut the fuck up," he groused. They sat there in silence before Levi groaned.

"God damn it, I forgot. Where's Mike at around now?"

"It's… almost nineteen-hundred, so he'd be down in the weight room supervising the security staff's evening workout routine. Why?"

"Ackerman wanted to know if bras with underwires were acceptable for her to own now that she's in her own quarters with fewer restrictions."

"Ah, yes, that would be Mike's call. Well, I should get back to my office before Moblit breaks down crying again." Hanji stood up, and dodged the kick aimed at her. Levi scowled, rolling his eyes at her antics.

"Get the hell back to work."


	17. Sleep Walking

Eren woke up to a hand slapping his face, his throat burning and his chest heaving. Hands grasped his shoulders, pinning him down, and he felt a heavy weight on his legs as well. As he gasped for air, he blinked away the smears of blood and viscera still distorting his sight and saw Mikasa emerge from behind the chaos.

"You're awake, now. It was just a dream. You're okay, I'm here. I'm alive. It was just a dream."

"Mom," he moaned, his stomach rolling. Mikasa sighed, her hands sliding from his shoulders to his neck, pulling him up and against her chest. He couldn't move, his body a dead weight with him trapped inside.

"It's okay. We're safe. Remember? There's Levi, and Petra, and Armin, and a lot of other people. We're safe, no one will hurt you. We're safe."

"Mika. Mika. Help," he pleaded with her, and she caressed his face gently, pulling him close to her and tipping both of them onto their sides. They landed stretched out on the bed, him closely wrapped up in her embrace. He felt the blanket being pulled back into place, her cool lips pressing against his overheated skin, and she hummed quietly to him as he cried, tears soaking into her thin night shirt.

"Three blind mice, see how they run?…" Her voice was soft and soothing, her hands stroking through his hair as if he were a small child, her affection flowing through her touch and into his heart.

Eren didn't fall back asleep, instead listening to his sister's soft singing and soaking in her warmth and comfort. Levi found them like that when he came to get them in the morning, and Eren didn't want to get out of bed, didn't want to go back to that small room and  _talk_  anymore. He was tired of it, tired of having to relive everything.

"He had a bad night," Mikasa said quietly, probably thinking that Eren was sleeping. "Having to talk about everything is messing with his head. He hasn't had a full night's sleep in weeks, Levi. I don't know what to do."

"Medical can get him sleeping pills if it continues to grow worse. But the sooner we finish this, the sooner he can stop having to relive it all again."

"He's never stopped reliving it. The nightmares are nothing new. They're just worse now. He was tearing at his own skin. I had to hold him down and smack him until he woke up. I'm scared… What if one night I don't hear him? What if he kills himself in his sleep?"

"That won't happen."

"Can you promise me that? No one came to help him last night. I had no one there to help me! What good is being here if Eren can't even be saved from himself?!"

"I will talk to the night patrol. Someone should have been within hearing distance."

"Can we not do this today? This is the longest he's been asleep since we moved to these rooms. I don't want to wake him."

"He's already awake, aren't you, Eren?"

"Go th'fuck 'way," Eren muttered, tightening his hold on Mikasa's waist and turning his head away from the light. "Feel like shit."

"You'll keep feeling like shit if you let yourself wallow in it. Get out of bed and get showered, and I'll put off our meeting for another hour so you can eat and get dressed. We're still going to meet today, we're still going to talk, but we'll also figure out what to do about your sleeping problems."

Eren groaned, but he rolled away from Mikasa's warmth, sitting up and giving Levi a scowl. The man merely turned and walked out of the room, the door left open behind him.

"Come on, before they come in and drag us out," Eren said, and Mikasa nodded. He brushed his fingers through her hair, smiling sweetly at her.

"Thanks, for being there."

"Always," she replied, and he felt her sincerity as she kissed his cheek.

* * *

Jean had been told by Corporal Levi to prepare two trays and take them down to the Jaeger kids, since they were having a late start today. He didn't know why it had to be  _him_. Armin was on better terms with the two than anyone else here. Jean might not be seeking revenge against Eren Jaeger for what happened to him, Connie, and Sasha, but he sure as fuck didn't care for him either.

They were both in the sister's room, Mikasa wearing only a sports bra and a pair of leggings, and Eren a pair of jeans with a towel draped over his head. There were scratch marks trailing down Eren's throat and shoulders, and he saw several bite marks around his wrists and hands.

"Fun night?" Jean mocked, and the girl gave him a sneer.

"No. Who the hell are you?"

Jean wondered if it was genetic, since both Jaeger brats had only given him grief upon first meeting him. He watched Eren lay his hand on her arm, shaking his head minutely as she locked eyes with her brother. She sagged down into her seat, staring mulishly at the floor.

"That's Jean Kirstein," Eren told her, and she gave a small hum in acknowledgement.

"Well, the corporal wanted me to bring you some food, so here," he said, irritated. He set the trays down on the table, and Eren gave him a wide smile.

"Thank you!"

"Whatever," Jean muttered, turning away.

"I'm sorry, if that makes it any better. Which I doubt, but I'm still sorry."

"Let's get one thing straight," Jean said, spinning around. He pointed a finger at the teenager, ignoring the way the sister straightened up, ready to spring up from her chair. "I don't like you. I will never like you. I'm fucking pissed at what you did to Connie and Sasha, but I ain't going to try and get even with you. But don't pretend you give a shit about me, and don't fucking go and think that we're good and even now. Got that? I'm going to do my job, and you're going to do yours, and I'm going to go on happily hating your guts for the rest of my life."

With that, Jean left the room, his strides matching his fury.

* * *

Connie still wasn't sure what was going on. He knew that he wasn't at home, he wasn't anywhere near Iowa, but Sasha was here with him anyway. She looked a lot older, too, which still didn't make sense to him. But, when he looked in the mirror,  _he_  looked older as well. The doctor said it was amnesia, that he had lost ten years of his life, and that's why things didn't make sense anymore.

The medicine they gave him didn't help with much. He wasn't sure what it was meant to do. He'd probably had it explained to him before, but Sasha had said that for a while he kept forgetting things over and over again. He was past that now, he hoped, since he remembered the last several weeks. They had him locked away in a hospital, but it wasn't a hospital. He used to work here, was a soldier (he was surprised by that one), and helped to stop terrorists. He was attacked by one, actually, and that's why he can't remember anything. Or so Sasha said.

The other man who came often, Jean, didn't tend to say much when he was there. Sasha said he was with them the day Connie was attacked, and that they were friends.

"How's my favourite patient today?" the doctor asked, entering his room. He shrugged, picking at the hospital scrubs he was wearing.

"Bored. There's nothing to do in here, and Sasha's not coming by today."

"Well, I've been monitoring your progress, and I think you've reached a point of stability that'll allow you to move around the base more."

"Will Sasha be able to, too?" Connie asked, and the doctor frowned.

"Not currently. She's still showing signs of extreme violence—"

"Only against that Eren guy," Connie protested, and she sighed, pushing her glasses up to look at him with her deep brown eyes.

"That 'Eren guy' is very important, and if he dies we lose everything we've worked for. I can understand Sasha's anger towards him, as he did cause you two great damage, but the fact remains that we need him alive."

"I was wondering," he said, once again picking at his cuff nervously. "Would I be able to meet him? Eren, that is. I want to talk to him."

"May I ask why?" she asked gently, and Connie nodded.

"I guess… I just want to hear the truth from him. I want to know why he did this."

"You want to hear him apologize too, huh," she said, and Connie shrugged.

"I don't know if it'll make me feel better to hear it. But I want to talk to him."

"I'll get it arranged," the doctor told him, before handing over his medication. "For now, just rest."

It was after lunch that he got another visitor, one that he hadn't seen before. He was short, pale, and muscular, and he made Connie nervous just by being near him. The man looked him over, eyes judging, before sighing.

"Would you be more comfortable talking to Eren in your own room, his room, or in a neutral room?" he asked, and Connie shrugged.

"I don't care."

"Good. Then get up and follow me."

Connie did, and it was as they headed down a flight of stairs that he started to suspect that this was Corporal Levi, the man who had saved Sasha's life. She talked about him a lot, almost as much as she talked about Eren.

"You won't be able to talk to him alone. I will be present in the room, in case I need to intervene on either of your behalves. Understand that if either you or Eren start to become agitated or distressed, the meeting's over. You are not to physically touch one another, you are not permitted within arms' reach of each other, and you are to keep a civil tone and act appropriately while in each others' presences. You are not to mention family. You are not to throw insults. This isn't a pissing contest. We're only allowing this to happen because of the reasons you gave. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," he responded without thinking, and the man gave him a shrewd look before knocking on and pushing open a green-painted door.

The room was a lot like his own at home. His family was large, but poor, and there hadn't been a lot of spare money for decorations or useless furniture. He noted, with a jealous spark, that the bed was even nicer than his old one. But he pushed the feeling aside, noticing the boy sitting on the bed.

He looked the age Connie felt he should be. The youthful face, large eyes, and innocent demeanor were shocking; with the way Sasha spoke about him, Connie had expected a hardened criminal in his forties, heavily tattooed and with scars everywhere. This… this looked like a kid he would have gone to school with and never thought twice about. Somehow, Connie felt that was even worse than what he'd been imagining.

"Eren, this is Connie Springer. Springer, this is Eren Jaeger. You've both been briefed on the rules. I don't want to have to intervene. Eren, you remain on the bed. Springer, take a seat."

The man moved to lean against the wall, and Connie took a seat gingerly. Now that he was here, he was wondering if this was such a great idea as it had seemed earlier. The boy wouldn't meet his eyes, and after several minutes of intensely awkward silence, Connie cleared his throat.

"I guess… I've heard a lot about you and wanted to see you for myself. Hear your side of the story, if that— if that makes sense."

Eren glanced up for barely a moment before looking back down at the bed sheets. Connie wasn't sure he'd answer, and started babbling nervously.

"I mean, you don't have to answer. I get that it's probably not something you want to talk to me about, since you don't even know me and it's not any of my business, I guess, and I'm sorry that I'm making this worse—"

"It didn't have to be you," Eren cut in, and Connie fell silent. He saw the man shift against the wall a little, straightening up, and Eren repeated himself.

"It didn't have to be you. You just happened to be the one who approached me. I was pretending to be part of the cleaning crew and you noticed me. I feigned that I was lost, and you sympathized with me. You believed me completely, but the other guy didn't buy my act. So, I acted without thinking."

"And that's when you put me in a coma," Connie guessed, and Eren's fingers twisted in the sheets.

"That wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what went wrong. It's never happened before. It's a pressure point, meant to knock a person out for ten, fifteen minutes on average. Enough time to get away. You'd have a killer headache, sure, but… all of this? What happened to you wasn't supposed to happen."

"That makes me feel better, actually," Connie said, and Eren looked up, bewildered. He gave the boy a wide, genuine smile. "I mean, obviously it's not okay that it happened. I'm annoyed that you tricked and attacked me. But if this was deliberate, if you meant to make me forget ten years of my life, I'd be a lot angrier. Probably as angry as Sasha is. But… it was an accident. I totally get that, you know?"

"…You're a strange person," Eren muttered, and Connie laughed.

"I hear that a lot. But, I do have another question," Connie looked intently at Eren's face, his eyes scanning the much-too-young face. "If you could go back and change it, would you? Or would you have done it anyway?"

Eren was silent, his gaze falling back down to where his hands were twisted in the bedspread. When he answered, his voice was soft, and there was a lethal edge to his words.

"If I had to rescue my sister, I would. If you were the only thing standing between her and our freedom, I would. But… if I went back, knowing what I do now, and I was trying to get her out from  _here_ , I don't think that I would. I… Being here is good for her, for both of us. I think I would have turned myself in. But if I didn't know, I would have still done it. I would kill you if it came down to it. I'd kill you all."

Connie leaned back in his chair, the intensity of Eren's words hitting him hard. But, he had a little sister. If she was kidnapped, and he was trying to save her, he'd try to help her. Maybe, he thought, that was why he was a soldier. He would have wanted to keep her safe, keep everyone safe, and so he found himself nodding along to Eren's words.

"I get that, man. It scares me, but I get it."

Eren smiled, timid but real, and Connie smiled back.

"I think we'd have been friends, you know. I like you. You scare me, yeah. But I like you."

"Thanks, I think."

"No problem, man."

They fell silent again, and they remained that way until the man told him it was time to leave. He waved goodbye to Eren, and as he was led back to his own room, he felt better. His head hurt less than it had before.

* * *

Armin rubbed at his eyes with one hand as the other continued to turn pages in the plain cream-coloured file folder. Hanji would give him a box full of personnel files every week, and he would spend his evenings going over them, trying to see if any of them looked off, or wrong, or  _something_.

He honestly had no idea what he was looking for. If he took every tiny detail into account, they  _all_ were suspicious. Jean had been in juvie once, Marco took two years to vacation in Spain, Annie was put into the foster care system when she was twelve, Bertolt had past drug charges, and Reiner had a mark on his record for a fight during a varsity football game. Krista had been a chronic runaway since she was thirteen, Ymir had been in a gang until she was nineteen, Petra was married for two years before divorcing and joining a special unit in the military under Levi, Erd had three children with different women, Gunther lived with his sister and her family, Mike went MIA for seven months while on active duty, and even Erwin himself had things that could be taken as potential risks. There was just too much information, and he didn't have any idea of how to go about narrowing it down.

_How can Eren stand it?_ he wondered, remembering their conversation in the car.  _How can he handle looking at everyone and seeing all of these risks?_

But, he realized, Eren  _didn't_  handle it well. He had left during the shopping trip because he was overwhelmed. He didn't trust people, didn't try to seek them out, didn't try to get to know them. Was this why? Did he ever get a break from it?

Armin threw down the folder, frustrated. These weren't going to tell him anything useful. He had looked over the papers for all onehundred and fifty-three people stationed here on this base, and none of them would tell him what he needed to know. If there was a mole here, they would have to be flushed out a different way. The spy would have to reveal themselves.

_We'll have to trap them, lure them out. Set bait that they can't resist. Then see who goes for it… and crush them._

Was this what Hanji wanted him to realize? Had his time with all of these folders been spent trying to show him the futility of looking at the past? If that was it, then he'd gotten the message.

_What is tempting enough to lure a traitor? What information would—_

And, with a growing sense of dread, he knew the answer. Why Hanji had called him down to her office, had given him this assignment, had blackmailed him into cooperation.

_I'm that information. I'm the bait._

Armin was one of the five survivors from  _That Time._ A security guard named Hannes had been listed as one survivor, Eren and Mikasa as two more, and a teenager who had locked himself in the walk-in fridge at his job when he heard the gunfire start. Armin had also falsified his documents so that he could join the military early, could get his revenge as soon as possible, and join his division.

_That, and I was close to the Jaegers. If I leaked that I could know something useful, know information that a traitor wouldn't want revealed…_

That'd be hard for them to pass up. Armin was known to be reserved, secretive, and reluctant to talk about the past. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think that Armin might know something, and that would have to be incentive enough to lure a mole out of hiding.

_Because who would think to ask, except someone who_ needs _that information?_

His stomach twisted as the plan developed, and he plotted who to slip the information to. It didn't take him long to decide. Even as he put the folders away for the night and crawled into bed, he felt the hatred he harboured for himself grow even stronger.

_Please forgive me, Sasha._


	18. Sleep Walking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A half-day update in honour of Eren's birthday today! Tomorrow will have the final chapter uploaded, so... yeah. Not saying any more.

He watched the surprise spread across Armin's face, disbelief and betrayal building in his eyes as he closed the door. He didn't give Armin enough time to follow whatever train of thought he was running away with, standing up from the desk chair and crossing his arms.

"What the fuck are you trying to accomplish?"

Armin studied him quietly before sighing, grinning ruefully, and running a shaking hand through mussed blond hair.

"I should have taken into account that you'd be interested in the information too. Fuck, I need more sleep," he muttered, slumping against the wall.

"Answer the question. What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to lure a mole out," he said, pushing away from the door and moving past Levi. "I used Sasha to spread a little bait around, and I figured anyone who approached me wanting to know more would be a mole. I didn't take your position into consideration, though. So, Corporal Levi, are you leaking information to terrorist factions, or are you here because you want to interrogate  _me_  now?" The mocking tone in the younger man's voice didn't settle well with him.

"So, I can assume that it's not true then? Grisha didn't confide anything in you."

"Nope. But it's not hard to believe it could be true."

Levi ignored that, though he was right. Armin Arlert had been a source of constant discussion, his history and hostility having caused some concern about him joining. But Hanji had taken one look at his file and demanded that they accept him. A certified genius at levels the military hadn't seen since Hanji Zoe herself had joined, and she couldn't pass that up.

"I'm assuming Hanji put you up to this," Levi sighed, and Armin shook his head.

"I haven't filled her in yet. I can't know for sure that her office is clean. If there's a bug in there, that'd ruin the entire plan. As it stands, I'll draw someone out better if I leave her in the dark for now."

"Are you sure your own quarters are safe?"

"They were when I left ten minutes ago. Unless you bugged them, they should still be secure."

Damn genius types.

"Well, your plan seems fine, except how did you plan on subduing the mole? If they decided to kill you before you could talk, then what was the point? You'd be dead, and we'd be no closer to finding out who's been leaking confidential information," Levi pointed out. Armin nodded.

"That was a risk, yes."

Levi really hated geniuses.

"An unacceptable risk. If you allow it, I will place some of my own security measures in your room. Video and audio, in case the mole tries to search your quarters. I will remove them after they are no longer needed."

"Not a problem."

"Which means that I'd recommend you taking your rendezvous with Bodt to his quarters," Levi continued, watching the flush spread across pale skin.

"How—"

"Discretion is a trait you develop with practice. If you find out any more useful information, get a hold of me. Be discreet about it."

He left Armin spluttering behind him, closing the door and heading off toward his next agenda. Eren had apparently had a bad night - a given, considering his ordeal with Springer yesterday - and screamed, ranted, and ravaged his room. That had lasted several hours, and Mikasa had surprisingly ignored the entire thing. She had been awake, the report said, but she had sat on her bed, covering her ears and ignoring it.

Eren's room was still a disaster when he arrived. None of the furniture was broken, but the meager possessions were strewn around, books torn and ink splattered on the wall. There was a trail of blankets that gave away Eren's favourite hiding spot, and Levi sat down on the mattress above him, pulling out a small bag from his pocket. He set it down beside him, not bothering to try and draw the teen out from hiding. Instead, he leaned over, picking up one of the books that was within reach, reading the blurb on the back before flipping it over and opening to the first page.

He made it to page forty-seven by the time that he felt Eren shifting under the bed, The boy's curiousity had him peering over the edge, watching as Levi turned to page forty-eight. Levi continued to ignore him, giving Eren enough time to compose himself. It was on page one-hundred-and-twenty that Eren spoke up.

"Why are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Levi responded calmly, eyes scanning the page in front of him. Eren grunted, pulling himself completely out from underneath the bed and climbing to sit beside Levi.

"Dunno. There's got to be more going on than me, right? Why—" Eren cut himself off, pulling the blanket around him tighter and burying his face in his arms. Levi closed the book, setting it down on the bed and reaching over to pull on Eren's ear.

"You are my concern right now. I'm not working on any other cases aside from yours, which keeps my days full enough. It wouldn't be fair to you, or your sister, if I divided my attention between you and other cases."

"But—"

"But it's not your concern. I'm fine with how things are right now."

Eren didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but let the subject drop. He finally noticed the bag resting between them and his brow furrowed in confusion. Levi gestured to it, a sense of shyness overtaking him as he turned to look toward the door instead.

"I heard from Private Arlert that you asked for one. Merry Christmas, or whatever you celebrate."

Eren opened the bag, pulling out a dark black book, a subtle pattern of leaves pressed into the supple leather. The pages inside were blank, offering space for his personal thoughts to find shelter.

"This…" Eren breathed, and Levi scratched at his neck, feeling unsure. Should Armin have brought it instead? But Levi didn't have too much time to dwell on his doubts before Eren tackled him in a hug, burying his face into Levi's shoulder and squeezing him tight.

"Oi!" Levi yelped, startled, but Eren just looked up at him, eyes glittering with contentment and happiness.

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you—"

"I get it. Enough already. Just take care of it."

"I will, sir!"

* * *

 

Mikasa sat on her bed, head resting on her knees as she listened to Eren's laughter from further down the hall. Things were changing. Last night had been terrifying, hearing Eren in such distress, but there wasn't anything she could do for him anymore. He didn't need her, not in the way he used to. Not in the way she still needed him.

But, she wondered, did she really need him as much as she used to? Sure, she'd be devastated if something was to happen and they couldn't see each other anymore. There wasn't any desire to cut him entirely out of her life. She still had a hard time sleeping alone, and startled awake at every small noise. But there wasn't a pressing need to have him constantly by her side; there wasn't a terror of him being out of her sight. She didn't have to watch him as closely, hoping that he remained safe while she was out at school or work, and then chastising his actions upon returning.

What Levi had told her yesterday still weighed heavily on her mind. She might be able to leave soon, but Eren… Eren wouldn't. She understood. She had listened to his reasoning and wasn't going to argue against how risky it was for Eren and everyone else to send him out on his own. But there was little reason for Mikasa to stay anymore, and that was why even as Eren screamed and cried last night, she couldn't go see him then. She couldn't stand there and watch him break down, knowing that she was useless. That there was nothing more that she could do for him.

Mikasa rose to her feet, leaving her room and wandering the hall, looking for a way up to the main floor. She needed space to think, space to consider what her future would be. When that day came, and she turned eighteen, what would she do? She wasn't going to finish her last year of high school on time, and the only reason she had managed to get any passing grades over the summer courses were due to Eren doing her homework. She didn't see the point in finishing anymore, not when the need to keep an ear to the ground for information was gone. She couldn't stand teenagers, they were petty and annoying, and she refused to subject herself to another year of their company.

She found what appeared to be a break room not unlike the one at her old job, and she took a seat at one of the empty tables, ignoring the eyes that were watching her. When a chair slid out across from her, and a person dropped into it, she lifted her gaze from the polished metal surface to see someone unfamiliar looking back at her with too much cheer.

"Hi! Who're you?" he asked, and someone else nearby stood up, moving over as if to intervene.

"Mikasa. Who are you?" she returned, unsure why this man was talking to her.

"Connie. So, do you work here?"

Mikasa blinked, trying to figure out if this man was testing her or something. Levi  _had_  said they could wander about the base - within reason - and no one had stopped her on her way up here. She was allowed to be here, and didn't find this amusing at all.

"No, she doesn't. Why don't you leave her alone and let her do whatever she was doing in peace?" the man - Jean, if she remembered correctly - said, but Connie shook his head.

"No, she looks lonely. Are you lonely?"

_I am,_  she realized, though she didn't admit it aloud. She had been reduced to seeing only Eren, Petra, and Levi on a daily basis. She would see Armin as well sometimes, and the blond nurse, Christa, was guaranteed once a week. But outside of that, there was no one.

"I thought so. Hey, so we're going to set up a movie marathon in a couple of hours. You should come!" Connie offered, and Mikasa looked up at Jean, who seemed to have given up trying to get the man to leave her alone. She was about to reject the offer, but then took a moment to consider it more. It would be good, not only for her, but for Eren as well.

"Can Eren come too?" she asked. Connie paused, before shrugging.

"Sure, why not?"

"Connie!" Jean was hissing, and Mikasa rose to her feet.

"I don't know if my brother will come, but I'll go ask him."

"Wait, I want to go with you!" Connie said, and Jean sighed.

"Why don't we all go, then? Oi, Marco!"

A tanned, freckled man looked over toward them.

"Go get Armin and the others. We're taking a trip down to the basement before starting the movie."

* * *

 

"I need to check with Levi, but sure, why not?" Eren said. Connie broke away, brimming with excitement.

"Awesome! I'll get the snacks and drinks and see you there!" Eren grinned, waving goodbye.

It would be fun to do something normal, he mused. Hanging out, eating junk food, and watching crappy movies. He had heard a lot about stuff like this from Mikasa when she was attending school, but he'd never been able to do any of it himself. He looked over and quirked a grin at her, and she gave a timid smile back.

Things were getting better. Slowly, but surely.

"So, where is he, anyway?" Jean asked, looking annoyed that they had to do this.

"He's down in the labs right now," Armin answered for both of their sakes. Eren hadn't known where Levi was, but Armin had a knack for knowing where anyone was at any given time, which was kind of creepy if he thought about it for too long. But, he mused, Armin  _was_  to eventually replace the current head of the Recon and Intelligence Division. Eren had never met her, but had heard plenty of wild stories about the infamous Dr. Zoe from Armin. Tales about how her assistant-slash-lover Moblit had to get her down off of the roof after a night of drinking, or that she had stripped and climbed the building in the first place on a dare from Levi, or how she had set the entire R&I Department on fire to conduct an experiment (also when she was drunk). Eren honestly didn't know what to believe, but Levi and Armin complained about Dr. Zoe enough for him to know that there might be some truth to the more destructive rumours.

"So, why do you have to ask Levi for permission?" Jean asked, and Eren tried to ignore the anger that built up in him from that remark.

"I'm not  _asking permission_ ," he hissed. "I'm letting him know where I am, which is a condition of not being locked up all the fucking time."

Marco placed his hand on Jean's shoulder, shaking his head slightly. Jean dropped it, and they pushed their way into the R&I labs.

"—don't see how any of that concerns you," Eren heard Levi say, his tone clearly annoyed. The voice that responded back made Eren's blood run cold. He paused mid-step, his heart skipping a beat in shock. He couldn't forget that voice even if he tried.

"Eren?" he heard Mikasa ask, but her voice was faint, as if she were trying to shout at him through a hurricane. He didn't remember running forward, but he needed to see who that voice belonged to. He  _had_  to see. Because it couldn't be true. It just wasn't possible.

"Eren?!" a few voices shouted this time, and he faintly heard Armin screaming.

"Corporal—!"

The large, double-hinged doors flew open against Eren's charge, and he skidded to a stop, drawing in a sharp breath as his eyes fell upon the only other person in the room besides Levi. The long brown hair, messily pulled back, and the hard-to-mistake features of the most eccentric, intelligent, and dangerous person on the base stared back at him in surprise. Brown eyes were framed by thick frames, and a white lab coat covered most of the tall, lanky frame.

Dr. Hanji Zoe, head of the Recon and Intelligence Department. Dr. Hanji Zoe, the person who he had spoken to for almost twenty minutes right before he handed the phone over to his mother and all Hell had broken loose. Dr. Hanji Zoe, the one who had awakened the Sleepers.

"You—!" Eren hissed, and he moved to lunge forward. While he didn't have a gun or a knife, he had been taught to use his body as a lethal weapon by his parents. He knocked away the hands that tried to grab him, but Levi, familiar with Eren's fighting style, grabbed him around the waist and yanked him back.

"What the fuck—?!"

"Don't move," Hanji said quietly, stepping up behind Levi and placing the barrel of a gun to his head with one hand while the other held a scalpel against his neck.


	19. Déjà Vu

"This was unexpected, and unappreciated," Dr. Zoe sighed, her voice sounding oddly melancholy. "I hadn't finished gathering what I needed from you, Eren, and now you have to go and ruin my fun. Your mother would be so disappointed."

"Don't talk about her!" Eren hissed, his body tensing, readying himself to attack.

"Ut-uh-uh!" she tutted, pressing the scalpel harder against Levi's throat. A thin trail of blood flowed down the pale neck, and Eren froze in place. "I know that bastard Grisha tainted your training, but now that works to my benefit. Move, and Levi will die. Any of you move, and you will die as well."

"You only have two hands, and both are in use right now," Mikasa said, starting to take a step forward. A blade was pressed against her throat as well, halting her advance.

"Good girl," Dr. Zoe said sweetly, and Armin could see a flash of blond hair out of the corner of his eyes.

_Annie. Fucking hell, it was Annie._

He could turn just enough to see her holding two weapons against Mikasa in a style that perfectly mimicked the doctor. She wasn't the only one. Bertolt had his weapons poised on Jean. He couldn't see Reiner from where he stood. However, he felt the press of metal against his own skin and could smell Marco's familiar scent, the line of his body against Armin's back for once unwanted.

_How— Why?!_  his mind screamed, trying to understand. He had known these people for years, had grown to be on familiar terms with them and become friends with them. Had trusted them, even  _loved_  them. It was as if he was thirteen years old again, helpless to stop yet another tragedy from happening.

"My schedule will have to be moved up, but I can work with that. It was getting hot in here, anyway," Dr. Zoe lamented, and Levi snorted, though Armin could see the pain in his eyes even as his words were dull and bored.

"Who would have thought the mole we suspected was the fucking head?" he mused, and she smiled brightly.

"Right? I thought that was brilliant myself. A trusted and respected colleague, having devoted so much of her life to the security of this great nation, is the one trying to overtake it. I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids and your dog!" She laughed.

No one joined her in her laughter. The cackles echoed eerily in the silent lab.

"Oh, you are such a boring group! All stiff and no sense of humour. Don't you see how funny this is?! The best punch line of the century and you let it fall flat," she whined, but quieted down when the sound of voices came from the corridor behind her.

"Hanji's compiling a complete list of data, so we should find something soon," the gentle, familiar voice of Petra came from down the hall. He heard Moblit responding.

"I just want her to take a break. She hasn't left the lab in weeks. I'll drug her and take her home if necessary."

"She really runs you ragged, doesn't she?" Petra asked, and their voices trailed off as the door swung open. Petra and Moblit hadn't been alone, Mike Zacharius behind them with a box in his arms. There was no time to respond as Armin saw Reiner step up behind the head of security. Petra dropped her own box, drawing weapons and holding them against the doctor's lover.

"This keeps getting better and better," Hanji sighed, shifting her weight. "Welcome to the party, boys. Sorry it's not as fun as the invitation said it would be."

"What is going on?" Moblit asked, his voice shaking with the betrayal clearly showing on his face. His eyes were wide, as if this would help him see the truth. But the truth was clear, no matter how you looked at it.

"Just a little dispute. It's never easy coming out of the closet, you know," she replied lightly. "Some people will always object to who you really are."

"You'd know about that, wouldn't you, Hanji?" Levi sneered, and Hanji laughed joyfully.

"Oh, indeed! Coming out of the closet in so many ways, those were the days. 'I like men!' 'I am going to become a woman!' 'I organized a sleeper cell and planted them all around the world!' So many things that people can't accept. Isn't it strange to think that humans are so close-minded?" she said jovially. "Some people's children, anyway."

She looked at Eren as she said this, a look in her eye that Armin couldn't place.

"You've always fascinated me," Dr. Zoe confessed. "The Jaeger boy, the one that Carla always said would be the perfect weapon for the cause. She was going to groom you to be the most obedient, efficient soldier, and all without you ever knowing what was happening. Then your  _father_  went and ruined it," she sneered. "Grew sentimental, taught you more than you ever needed to know. And now here you stand, a champion of the people, a saviour of the free world. What a waste."

"You called that day," Eren said, his voice hoarse. "You were the one who told Mom to kill everyone. You're the reason everything happened."

"I was! And you didn't ever suspect a thing. You gladly told me everything your mother had taught you, which was a shortcoming on her part. Didn't you ever learn discretion? What if I actually had  _wanted_  to keep this country safe from people like me? I would have instantly known that your mother was a terrorist, and you would have been the reason she died," she said, her voice growing chillier. "And we have no use for bad boys. That fumble alone secured your death. But you got away from me before I could find you. Such a troublesome brat."

"Commander, we don't have much time before we're discovered down here," Petra voiced, her words flat. She sounded so different from the woman who had been so kind to all the soldiers under her care. Hanji sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I hate being rushed," she bemoaned. "I was getting such a good monologue going, too."

"There will be time for that later," Marco consoled her, his mouth close enough to Armin's ear that he could feel the hot brush of lips against his skin. Hanji smiled in Armin's direction.

"I knew there was a reason you're my favourite," she said happily.

"Of course, Commander."

"Kill the witnesses and clear out. Don't hesitate to remove anyone who stands in your way," she said, her voice losing any good humour or cheer that she had shown just moments before. The cold words spurred something within the group, and the scene quickly became a blur.

* * *

Eren couldn't have remembered everything later if he tried. He launched himself at Hanji Zoe, pushing the hand with the gun up while yanking the hand with the scalpel towards his own body. He felt it pierce his arm, deep enough to scrape bone, and the gun discharged into the ceiling. Levi dropped to the ground, sweeping his legs out in an attempt to knock Hanji to the ground, but she jumped back, letting go of the scalpel and cocking the gun again. But she didn't aim it at Levi.

Not even a minute passed by before it was all over. But the result was devastating.

Petra Ral was lying in a puddle of her own blood, her eyes staring blankly ahead of her as her outstretched hand tried to grasp something unseen to the rest of them. Beside her, Captain Zacharius wasn't moving, face-down on the ground and entirely too still. The stench of blood had Eren reeling from memories of his mother's smiling face as the back of her head exploded outward—

"Eren, calm down! It's over. Breathe with me. In… out…" Levi coaxed, drawing Eren back against him and placing a hand over his chest. Eren felt himself walking forward to the pressure of Levi's body against him, and the air smelled less and less like blood, but he couldn't get the picture of his mother out of his head, of that day happening over again, of all the blood and the screaming—

"He's having a flashback, give him some space! Get a count of the casualties, and someone go and fucking find Erwin. We need to secure the building and figure out how many of us were aligned with Ha— Dr. Zoe. We need to secure as many prisoners as we can and get this situation under control. Well, what are you all waiting for?!" Levi was shouting, and people were moving around them. He felt a body press up against him from the front, and the heat from both sides of him, as well as the familiar scent of Mikasa, was enough to help ground him again from the horrific place he had found inside of his memories.

"Eren, it's okay. We're okay. It's not real, it's just a memory. I need you right now, okay, little brother? I need you to come back and be with me right now. I'm scared," she whispered in his ear, and he let his head fall forward, burying his face in her neck and breathing her scent in deeply. It was soothing and familiar, and enough to tear a sob from his throat.

" _Moooom,"_ he moaned, and began to cry, the hysteria and terror finally catching up with him. They didn't let him go, even as he screamed and sobbed, focused on leading him out of the lab and to a safe area. The room was not unlike the one that he had spent the majority of his time in, and Levi locked all three of them inside. By then, Eren was starting to regain control over himself.

"We're going to have to wait it out. You two surviving is crucial," Levi said, pulling his gun out. It was six hours before the door opened, and seeing Armin had all three of them relaxing.

"It's over. Commander Erwin wants to meet with you immediately," he said, his voice hollow. Eren watched as Levi rose to his feet, moving past the blond and making his way up toward the ground floor. He hadn't holstered his gun, Eren noted, and then looked again at his childhood friend.

"Is it safe to return to our rooms?" Eren asked him, and Armin nodded.

"Would you like to come with us?" Mikasa added, and when Armin didn't respond, she moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Eren stood off to the side, watching them with fondness. They all made their way to Mikasa's room, as Eren's still showed signs of damage, and the three of them sat down on the bed, Armin using Eren's lap as a pillow. Eren stroked his hands through the surprisingly thick hair, humming quietly. When Armin fell asleep, Eren carefully moved him, and with Mikasa's help tucked him into bed.

Eren retrieved his blanket, and wrapped himself and Mikasa up in it, leaning against the bed frame and holding each other close. She fell asleep like that, too, and Eren let her use him as a pillow. When he saw Levi stride past the open door, Eren gently moved her down to the ground. She shifted in her sleep, but didn't wake. Eren stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Levi was standing in his room, hands shaking, and when Eren called out his name, something within him seemed to snap.

"Fuck," Levi hissed, punching the wall and resting his forehead against the cool stone surface. Eren stood off to the side, silently watching the older man.

" _Fuck!"_  Levi screamed. Eren didn't flinch, instead taking a few cautious steps closer.

"I… I'm sorry…"

"How could I have missed this?" Levi asked, though Eren knew the question wasn't aimed at him. He let the man vent, let him process the doubts and excuses that he knew would come to mind. "How could I have spent so many years being blind to the truth?"

"Because you didn't want to see that side of her," Eren answered quietly, and Levi spun around, looking at him with wide, angry eyes. "You wanted to see the nice, kind person you've known forever, the person who is now lost behind the ugly truth. The person who changed before you from a loving, kind woman into a stranger, a monster with your loved one's face. You don't want to think that she would ever do something like this, that you'll have to take steps to stop her from doing more. That you might have to kill a person you love in order to save the lives of millions of strangers."

"What did you do?" Levi accused, his words sharp and cutting. "When your mother turned on you, what did you do? You  _ran_. You  _hid_. What right do you have to preach at me?!" he shouted, and Eren smiled sadly.

"I didn't run from my mother, Levi."

Levi stopped shouting at that point, his gaze becoming less harsh and more questioning instead. Eren gave a sad, understanding smile as he told the corporal, "I grabbed my gun and killed her."

Levi stared at him as if he were speaking German instead of English.

"You—"

"Even as I held the gun to her head, she smiled at me and told me I was a good boy," Eren continued. "She was so proud of me, even when I pulled the trigger. I killed her as she knelt at my feet. I executed her, because that's what I was taught to do to bad people. When my father came back for us, I did the same to him as well." Levi looked ill, but Eren kept talking. "Everything I've ever done was for what I believed to be the right thing. You did everything you've done because you believed the same. Our methods are different, but we're both trying. Don't hate yourself for not seeing what she didn't want you to." Eren wrapped his arms around Levi's shorter, solid frame, resting his chin against the crown of black hair.

"How do you live with this?" Levi asked, his voice wavering in a vain attempt at strength. "She is—  _was_  my best friend."

"You use it," Eren replied, his tone low and soothing. "You keep the love you held for her in your heart and  _use_ it. It's your weapon. You're going to kill her for her own good, because you love her."

"Can I?" he murmured, and Eren tilted his head up, looking down into those conflicted grey eyes.

"If you don't, I will," he promised, before kissing the man who'd ruined and saved his life. It was short, but lacked no passion as Eren pressed Levi against the wall, snaking hands around Levi's neck and pressing down firmly. Levi barely had time to look betrayed before he was slumping into unconsciousness.

"I love you, Levi," Eren said, lifting him up into his arms. "I'll kill her so you don't have to."

* * *

Sasha knelt by the cot that held her best friend. The white sheet hid his face from her, but it did nothing to hide the reality of what that symbolized. She clutched a stiff, cold hand between both of her own, pressing it to her lips as she sobbed for the life that had suffered too much during all of this.

"I'm sorry," she heard behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. That voice haunted her dreams, had been the cause of all of this starting, and had been the root of Connie's suffering. She turned to give Eren Jaeger a tearful glare. He stood by the door with a sense of confidence she hadn't seen in him since their very first meeting.

"I can't change the past," Eren said, stepping into the room, ignoring the deadly look Sasha was giving him, ignoring her as she moved to place herself between him and Connie's corpse. "But I've come to you with an offer, and I don't think you''ll want to refuse it."

She looked up at him, curious despite herself.

"Do you want revenge against Hanji Zoe?"

The words rang through her mind, echoing as she thought of the long hours in the lab, the eccentric doctor taking their vitals and having Connie fill out sheet after sheet of information, analyzing his condition to learn as much as she could from him. How she had never seemed to feel pressured into finding a cure, a fix. Even when Connie lay in a coma, months went by with only mild supervision from the former R&I leader, who didn't seem as fascinated by his condition as one would have expected.

"I'm going to kill her, Sasha. I'm going to hunt her down and kill them all." His voice was fierce, lethal, and it sent a thrill down her spine. It was far different from the voice that had whispered sweetly in her dreams, that had twisted her mind back and forth until she wanted to scream. "Do you want to join me?"

She wiped at her eyes, pushing herself up onto her feet unsteadily. She noticed, suddenly, how quiet it was. How it was only the two of them here among the bodies in the makeshift morgue. The attending nurses and staff were absent, and the sounds of other mourners were not to be heard. She didn't know what Eren had done to cause them to be alone, but she found that she didn't care either. She gave him a hard look.

"Yes."

"Count me in, too," another voice said, and both of them spun around, weapons being drawn. Eren having a weapon was a surprise, but Jean stood by the door, hands up and exposed to show he meant no harm.

"Why should I?" Eren asked, and it was a valid question in Sasha's mind. Jean had made it quite clear that he would never forgive Eren for what happened the day he broke into the base, yet now here Jean stood, a duffle bag against his back and a set of keys looped around his wrist.

"Because you're going to need all of the help you can get," Jean answered calmly. "I don't trust anyone left on this base."

"Yet, you trust us?" Eren's skepticism was clear, and Sasha mirrored his look.

"You two are the only ones I  _can_ ," Jean said. "I know Sasha holds no love for Dr. Zoe, and neither do you. I don't want people who will cower away from the truth, who will hesitate to take a killing shot. I've been practicing for this since the day you came barreling into this base, Eren Jaeger. I'll guarantee a kill shot."

Sasha watched as Eren stared impassively at the figure blocking their exit, wondering how much time they had left. She didn't doubt that there was a time frame. The hospital wing was too quiet, too silent, especially following such a tragic event.

"You're driving, then," Eren said, looking away and back toward Sasha. He held out a hand to her and she accepted it, moving to his side.

They stood there for a moment, once again united in the end, as they had been in the beginning.

"For Connie," Sasha whispered, and Eren bowed his head.

"For Connie. For all of them. For us," he whispered back, and Jean looked down the hall.

"We better hurry, or else we're not getting out of here without a fight."

Eren nodded. Hands clasped, the three of them fled the Department of Homeland Security, fear, uncertainty, and determination carrying them forward.

* * *

**End of Part 1**

_We are no longer sleeping._

**Part 2: Wide Awake**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's it for Part 1, kiddos. THIS IS NOT THE END THOUGH! Keep an eye out for "Wide Awake" which takes place two years after the events of this chapter.
> 
> I'm hoping you enjoyed this series, I loved writing it. This last chapter was the first one I wrote, and have been leading up to this moment. As much angsting as I've done over it, I'm glad I was able to stick through and write it. THANK YOU AS WELL FOR ALL THE COMMENTS! It honestly inspired me to keep going and not let it fade away. <3 If you want to keep updated on what I'm doing, I tend to ramble on Tumblr, and I love meeting new people! So don't be shy :)
> 
> Great thanks to Ro for editing, as always :D <3
> 
> See you in Part 2!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr: [annoyinglittletwit](http://annoyinglittletwit.tumblr.com) :)


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